Silver Chains and Black Leather
by thepaperfalcon
Summary: A simple encounter between the Vice President and an enigmatic delinquent throws Ino into a strange vortex of events. She'll have to learn to expect the unexpected if she is to learn to cope with those two. AU. Eventual SakuIno and TemaTen. Discontinued.
1. The Beginning of the End

_**This chapter has been rewritten as of February 20, 2009.** _**As this is the rewritten version, the style will vary greatly until a certain point in the story. **

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. But this plot is entirely my own and any plagiarism is unintended.

Warning: This story contains mature and **dark** themes in later chapters. This includes elements like profanity, sex between women, and the rape. It also contains OOC characters as well as a few OCs of my own. Let me remind you that this is a story in an alternate universe [i.e. no ninjas and jutsus], and takes place in its own world. If this bothers you in any way, please leave now.

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Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

There was a certain unexplainable esteem in her movements that turned the head of every person in the student body. Where ever she went, eyes followed. Those who didn't know her would give anything to exchange a few words, feeling giddy inside whenever her gentle blue eyes found theirs. Girls aspired to be just like her, beautiful and respectable. Boys just can't help themselves but stare. But those who did know her knew exactly the reasons why she was as popular as she was.

Personality, appearance, intelligence--she had it all. And in no way did she deny it. In fact, she was well aware of her popularity. She didn't ask for the attention, but why complain when she had half the school ready to do anything for her.

That was why she took full advantage of it.

Though her promiscuity was no big secret, it didn't stop anyone from not wanting to be a part of it themselves. Of course, there were people who hated her it. Self-esteems had been crushed to virtually nothing, hearts broken to pieces, and hard-ons never taken care of, but that was fine with her. It wasn't her problem humans were so fragile. She moved on quickly enough, even though she was seemingly co-dependent on men. Besides, she knew no one could really _hate_ her. After all, who could blame her for being naturally magnetic?

It was only the ones closest to her, those who suffered through her complaints, who knew what a burden it was for her. Especially those clingy boys. "Hold hands for a day, have sex for three, and suddenly, you're supposed to act like you're getting married," she always told her friends.

Yet…what could she say? It was fun.

A bitch for playing with the human heart she may be, but, hey, everyone needed an outlet for stress. Exactly what kind just varied among people--some likes to dance, others liked to write, some may scream, and some may cry. Others still, seek to gain pleasure from screwing with the simplistic male mind.

"Yamanaka Ino, please report to the office. Yamanaka Ino, report to the office."

Ino slammed her locker shut, trying her best to resist the urge to slam her forehead against the locker. She sighed and started in the direction of the office. On the way, she approached a boy, showing off and acting tough in front of his friends as he shoved another boy against a locker. She cleared her throat behind him and smiled when she felt everyone's eyes on her.

"W-what do you want?" he stammered, as he tried to maintain the fierce look on his face.

"Do you have the time?" She inquired, using the sweetest voice she could muster. He looked at her, wide-eyed and confused. He nodded to the boy he had shoved earlier, his badly gelled hair bobbing as he did. The smaller guy against the locker fumbled for his phone and uttered the time: 12:42pm. The blonde thanked him politely and turned to his aggressor. She leaned in close. Touching his bared arms lightly, she whispered, "I'll see you in the detention room after school."

Giving him a wink, she strode off. Not a few feet later, she heard an explosion of congratulations from the spectators to the bully. She could even hear him bullshitting away about his own success and attractiveness. A guy with boundless vanity, she concluded. _Couldn't ask for a better outcome,_ she thought, smiling inwardly to herself. _If only he knew he'd be dealing with the biggest asshole of a teacher after school. We were right to let Kisame be the one to torture the little dumbasses. _

As she continued on, she separated an over-zealous couple and broke up a one more "fight". She had passed by students talking about something that happened on the third floor. Telling from the amount of chatter going on about it, it must've been a pretty big issue. All she was able to make out, however, was that it involved some violent people and a lot of noise. If that was the case, then Ino was definitely not going to get herself involved and opt to pretend she didn't know anything. Wannabe bullies were one thing, but hardcore ones are on a whole different level entirely.

"Hey baby!" Ino felt her face muscles involuntarily twitch. _Great, more nuisances, _she thought, picking up her pace.

"Ino, baby, why are you running from me?" the voice continued. _Ino, baby, why do you ever date jocks?_ The blonde asked herself with a roll of her eyes before pivoting around to face the persistent individual.

"What do you want, Inuzuka? I have nothing to say to you," she retorted. The flat sound of his shoes told her he wasn't going to give up easily.

"Please, you can't fool me, babe! You still love me!"

"No, Kiba, I don't. I never did."

"Ino-o-o-o! C'mon! You don't have to play hard to get with me. We both know what you really want."

"Oh do we now?" She stopped and stared at him, as if trying to pin him down with the ice in her eyes. "Tell me, do you ever get tired of your own voice?"

The shaggy-haired boy frowned. "Who is it this time?"

"What?"

"I asked you who you're fucking behind my back!" He growled. Ino let out a loud, heavy sigh and, pressed on.

"Is it Nara? I've always suspected you two. You're too close to him to be 'just friends'."

_I guess he doesn't get tired of his own voice after all_, Ino thought without saying anything. The closer she got to the office, the faster her legs seemed to carry her. She tried to drown out the sound of Kiba's voice droning on and on, one name after another. The walk to the office had never seemed so long.

Finally, she entered the office, knowing for sure she had lost him. She knew he wouldn't be stupid enough to follow her in. After all, the staff had a few issues with him that he had been evading week after week. She knew she wasn't worth the risk of him getting suspended, if not expelled.

The first thing she had noticed when she stepped through the doorway was that the school's secretary wasn't in her designated seat. That would only mean one thing in this school. After greeting the other staff with a nod, she invited herself into the small corridor where the executives' offices were. She gave the door two firm knocks and stood aside. Not ten seconds later, the door flew inwards. The missing secretary stumbled out, her cheeks glowed a bright shade of pink as she nodded toward Ino in acknowledgement. For a few moments, she stood outside the door, hastily fixing her shirt before regaining a sudden composure and strode back into the main office.

"You know this kind of thing is highly inappropriate during school hours, Tsunade," Ino said with a smirk as she slipped into the principal's office. "Poor Shizune."

"I don't imagine you to be any better, Miss Yamanaka."

"So what's the damage this time?"

"Really, I'm surprised you don't know. Incompetent as always, hm?"

"You're one to talk. At least I do my job."

"That's still no excuse, especially because it concerns the Vice President of the Student Council this time."

"W-what happened? Did she get involved in a gang-fight or something? I always tell her to keep away from the dangerous kinds."

Tsunade cleared her throat. "First of all, let me remind you that as the president of the Student Council, it's your _responsibility_ to deal with these types of problems. I should not have to remind you how large a role the Council plays in this school. A student's problems are your problems."

"Yeah, yeah I know. It still may be early in the year, but I was still an active member. Just reminding you, because I know old age has that kind of effect on people," Ino scoffed.

"Anyway, I'll just pretend I didn't hear that. Now, go see Tenten, find out who the culprits are, and bring them to me."

"Are there any ideas as to who they are? You know…tell me who I'm up against before shoving me into the arena."

"In all honesty, I don't have a clue."

"Is it Uzumaki? She asked hopefully.

"Ino, he's nothing but a harmless prankster. Besides, even he wouldn't go that far. Why don't you just go to the nurse's office and ask Tenten. Oh, and on your way out, could you call Shizune back in for me?"

X

"Oh, my god! What happened to you?"

"Gee, I don't know, maybe I slip and fell," a brown-eyed brunette said sarcastically, giving Ino an exasperated look.

"Seriously now."

"I got punched, okay? The back of my head hit the locker pretty hard afterward. I can still see stars..."

"Who the hell would punch you? You don't have any enemies! Everyone in this school loves you!"

"Yeah well maybe a little bit too much," she growled. Pointing to her lips, she said, "'Cause she kissed me so fucking hard after. And y'know what's worse? I actually fucking enjoyed it!"

Ino said nothing for a moment, slightly taken aback at the sudden explosiveness from the usually collected vice. Then, when the words finally sank in, it finally hit her that something wasn't sitting quite right with her. "Wait a second… _She_?"

"I know! It was so strange. I didn't even know her!"

"But…you enjoyed it."

"That's what I said so don't bring it up anymore," she grumbled, clearly irritated.

"Well, you've always had more female fans than I did…"

Tenten groaned. "I don't understand! What did I do to deserve this? I don't have _time_ for this kind of bullshit!"

"Reality-check, Tenten," Ino said with a small smirk, "You're one of the smartest and most athletic people in this school. You're nice to everyone and you don't have a nasty habit like me. To top it off, you're in the student council, just a spot below me to boot. You don't have a bad face either. Nobody can hate you even when they want to! So you _must_ have some fans. Besides, going out with that bastard Neji says a lot about you."

"Thanks, Ino, but you really could've left the last part out. And you may just be a little oblivious, but people don't see me like that--trust me. I know what they say about me, okay?"

Ino frowned. "But I've never heard anything bad about you."

"That just goes to show how oblivious you are sometimes," Tenten replied with a small one-sided smile.

If enough rumours had flown to the point where Tenten's self-esteem had sunken to that degree, how the hell did everything manage to fly right over her head? Of course she had notice her friend's change over the past few months, beginning with her break-up last spring. But she just couldn't pinpoint exactly what the change was.

"Well, I'll just go look for those people now. There were only two, right?" Ino said, changing the subject in embarrassment.

"Yeah, one's about my height and the other super tall. If you ask me, they both stand out--especially the tall one. Her hair is like a cross between blonde and brunette, and most likely has European blood in her. The shorter one's the more serious one, but she's got pink hair."

"Pink…?" Tenten shrugged and fell back onto her pillow. "Okay then, I'll have to go haul them back to Tsunade. At least I get to skip part of calculus."

"Ah, you know how crucial that is though. It's still early in the year but your math…"

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry I think I'll be able to manage. It's just numbers! Shika will help me…I hope," Ino said sheepishly with a shrug before slinking off towards the doorway.

Tenten shook her head and wished her friend a silent "good luck" as she watched her disappear. She had a feeling that she would need more than luck to get through to those two. Even if she did, there would be nothing but trouble ahead.

X

Ino stomped through the hallways, feeling nothing but frustration. The last bell signaling the start of class had rang a while ago, but there were still a few students taking their time through the halls, either trying to slip into class unseen or trying to slip out of the school unseen. She asked a few students she knew about the whereabouts of "a super tall Euro chick who stands out and her friend with pink hair". No one claimed to have seen them. Although some had a look in their eyes that told otherwise, while others were very intrigued by such a description. Ino didn't question them further than that.

She trekked through all three floors of the school building, not forgetting any of the washrooms. She would've asked Shizune where they were supposed to be, but how could she when the students refused to give her a name? The teachers weren't much help either--most of them can barely remember their own students' names, much less some random troublemakers'.

She glanced at the time on the screen of her cell phone: 1: 14. Time had passed much slower than she had anticipated--class only started almost fifteen minutes ago. _This is such a waste of time,_ she told herself miserably. The idea of giving up and going to calculus seemed much too tempting to her.

But just as she started towards the direction of her locker, a slight sound tickled her ears. She stopped, almost completely sure she had just heard the clinking of metals. Chains, maybe? She turned around and caught someone staring directly at her. About ten metres away stood a girl, her eyes masked by a pair of sunglasses. And from the way she smirked at her, she knew instantly she was the one she looking for.

Wasting no time, Ino advanced toward her, eyes not straying from her target. The girl looked at her amusedly. A sly grin took place of her smirk before she turned and fled through the hallway previously concealed to Ino from where she stood by the row of lockers on either side. Ino's brows shot up in surprise, her pretty features contorting into a full-blown scowl as she picked up the pace.

She hurried around the corner. The short hallway was dimmer than the rest, with only a photocopying room on one side and a heavy double door at the end. _She must've ran outside,_ Ino thought. _Please, _please_ don't be far. You're enough trouble as it is, much more than its worth._

Ino braced herself for the chill autumn air and pushed open one of the doors. _Well these clothes sure help,_ Ino muttered, shivering as she pulled down her skirt. Her blouse and vest wasn't much help either. Crossing her arms for meager warmth, she strode out into what appeared to be part of the staff parking lot. She barely took a few steps forward when she heard a whistle behind her.

"Nice," the blonde heard a voice say, "very nice."

Ino spun around to catch a pair of dark green eyes trained hard on her, examining every curve in a way that made even her feel more than uncomfortable. Involuntarily, Ino blushed in embarrassment and attempted to pull her skirt down further.

Staring at her intensely was a dirty blonde (a pun perhaps?)--no doubt the one Tenten had mentioned. From where she stood two metres away, Ino was easily able to tell that this girl was at least a good head taller than her. Even in the cold she wore a thin white tank that cut off a little ways above her bellybutton, showing off her toned stomach. A black hoodie jacket hung from her elbows as she leaned against the wall, doing nothing to protect her from the cold. She had on a pair of jeans and a pair of dark green army boots. From that position, Ino could make out a tattoo of some sort on her right arm that completed the look with the line of piercings down her ears and the small stud on her lower lip.

Beside her was the girl from before. She looked to the side, but somehow Ino could feel her peripheral vision focused on her through the dense blackness of her glasses. She had her hands in her pockets and a cigarette hanging precariously on her lips. She wore a black leather jacket that exposed nothing but a pale triangle of a T-shirt underneath. However, one sleeve appeared to have been personally torn off to reveal a tattoo of a perfect circle. A waste of money and pain was Ino's impression. Even so, Ino had to admit that it fitted her nicely. But, what stuck out the most was her head of short pink hair, just as Tenten had said. _Pink hair? _Ino thought_, why would anyone dye their entire head _pink_? That's so...ew. _

"Been looking for me, hmm?" The taller girl said with a low laugh. Her voice was husky, almost masculine in a way.

"You and your friend here," Ino replied indifferently. She had seen enough "bad boys" to be intimidated like this.

"Ooh, you like it like that, do ya?" Ino blinked. _Real dykes! Why the hell hadn't I realized back in the infirmary? _Ino thought, mentally kicking herself.

Before Ino could reply, the pink-haired girl smiled that sly smile from before. "You must be a friend of that little brunette we met earlier," she said, her cigarette moving as she spoke.

Her friend looked at her incredulously, as if she hadn't even thought of the connection before. "My, Haruno…quick as ever, eh? So you lied when you said you went to the washroom."

"No, I did," she replied boredly, "but then I saw her." Haruno kicked herself off the wall and advanced towards Ino. She circled her, her hand running along the edge of her skirt. Ino gasped and reflexively slapped her hand back, pivoting around on her heels to face her. The two-inch she wore skidded along the bits of gravel on the pavement with the quick movement she had executed, causing her to stumble backwards. Before she could catch herself, she landed hard on her rear. At the sight of Haruno's risen brows, Ino quickly pulled her skirt down, feeling her blood rush to her face. Behind her, she heard a laugh.

"You see, Temari, it matches up," Haruno said with a short laugh, peering down at Ino almost contemptuously. "A little blonde slut wandering around the halls after the bell without a guy on her leash, who else could she be looking for? And the recognition in her eyes when she saw me…suspicious, don't you think? Besides, since I'm the only one who was awake during the assembly in the beginning of the year," she rolled her eyes at Temari, "I knew you were the President of the Student Council."

Temari gaped at Haruno, and then propelled herself around to face the blonde sitting on the ground. "You sure don't look very competent," she assessed with a smirk.

"Mmhmm, my thoughts exactly. I know you don't know this, Temari, but the little brunette was our Vice President."

"Oh. Well, shit. At least that explains things."

Ino glared at the two of them. "For your information," she said angrily, "just because you ignorant assholes don't know anything about our work, it doesn't make me incompetent, alright? I'm out here dealing with you two bastards, aren't I?"

"Aw, Haruno! You made Her Royal Highness cry," Temari chuckled. Ino tightened her fists.

"Well that's a crybaby for you," Haruno said, squatting down to meet Ino's fiery blue eyes.

Ino glowered at her as hard as she could, but the other girl did not waver. _Calm down, Ino, relax. You know what they're trying to do. Breathe, just breathe, _she told herself, taking a few small breaths. She closed her eyes and pushed herself up. _If these jerks think they can provoke me like that, they better think again. _

She ran her hands up and down her skirt, smoothing it out and dusting off the dirt. "You know," she started, flashing the two a brilliant wide smile, "I don't know what you're trying to accomplish here, but I'm not afraid of you. You're just two lecherous old men and that's not something I haven't dealt with before. Now, how about we do this like mature individuals? That means keep your hands to yourself."

Temari glanced at Haruno with uncertainty in her eyes.

Haruno's face was void of emotion. "Mature individuals, huh? Alright, we'll _negotiate_ if thats what you want."

"No, no need. All you have to do is follow me. Both of you."

Haruno laughed humourlessly. "Cheeky, aren't you? Or are you just arrogant?"

"If anyone here is arrogant it's you."

"Arrogant, am I?" Haruno said. Her face was blank, but there was something in her eyes that Ino couldn't quite decipher. "Well then, I'll co-operate. That is…with a small catch."

_That was surprisingly easy_, Ino thought with a smile.

"I'll follow you, but Temari will stay."

Temari raised a brow. "That's not like you, Haruno."

"Well, let's just call it compensation for taking the other girl out from under you," she replied with a triumphant grin.

Temari frowned. "So you're going to take this one too? Now you're just being unfair."

"Too bad."

"Well, whatever, this one's not my type anyway," Temari said with a shrug.

"Liar."

"I'm not! But I still won't forgive you for taking that panda-girl from me."

"Maybe you'd like to come with me then?"

"No, no, no thank you. I got stuff to do."

"Are you two done saying your goodbyes then?" Ino said irritably with one hand on her hip. Receiving no response, she turned around, beckoning to be followed. It was about time she escaped the biting cold. But when she turned around, neither of them had so much as taken a step forward, opting to watch her amusedly instead. With a roll of her eyes, she marched toward the pink-haired girl and grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her toward the double doors.

"Meet you by your bike after school!" Ino heard Temari call after the doors slammed shut.

X

"You know, you can let go now. I can walk by myself," Haruno said with a sigh as Ino dragged her through the empty hallways. Every time they passed by a classroom, Ino could see the curious looks and the craning necks and contemplated on letting the girl go. However, if she ran away and forced another pursuit, Ino would much rather not risk missing her entire class.

"I don't really get why girls have this insatiable desire to make little physical touches with other girls. Straight girls especially. I don't know if this is your way of appeasing me, trying to be a tease and all, but _why_ are you gripping so damn hard?" Ino ignored her and marched on.

"Hey, Miss Piggy."

"What?" Ino barked, taken aback by the tone of her own voice. Haruno slowed down, pulling the blonde beside her in one swift move. _What the hell? Jesus, she could've stopped me at any time! This is all a joke to you isn't it? _Ino wanted to ask. She felt her captive's hand wriggling out of her grip. But before Ino could say anything, Haruno slipped her hand in her own. She interlocked their fingers and used her free hand to gesture silence.

"What are you doing?" Ino whispered harshly.

"Doing you a favour." Haruno smirked and nodded slightly behind them.

Ino looked behind her. Immediately, her eyes narrowed and a string of curses ran through her head. Into the seemingly empty hallways, she said in her usual tone of voice, "I see you Inuzuka. Go away, will you?"

The distressed athlete emerged from the men's washroom not twenty paces away. With a sigh, Ino asked, "Why aren't you in class?"

Kiba frowned, his dark eyes trained on Haruno as he spoke. "Are you fucking kidding me, Ino? I don't believe it! You replaced me with a _dyke_?"

Haruno flinched a little and balled her free hand, but said nothing. She pinned him with her eyes through the black of her sunglasses.

"That's another hour of detention on top of your accumulated hours. Kisame would be happy to deal with you all at once," Ino said, ignoring his previous comment. Though she appeared indifferent, a bit of curious unease ran through her system when she felt Haruno's hand tense. _Here I thought she'd be proud of a title like that_, she thought, giving her a brief glance.

"Ino, what're you playing at? Do you really think switching teams would help you forget me? Is that it? C'mon, you're not like her," said Inuzuka, giving Haruno a look of disgust as he said the last part. Ino felt the grip on her hand tighten.

"Just go to class, Kiba! Didn't I tell you over and over that I didn't want to see that sorry face of yours ever again? Will you just fucking get the picture already?"

"No, baby just stop, please. Why are you making this so hard? We're a match made in heaven, ask anyone! C'mon, what do you see in that shit poser over there? She doesn't even have the _tool_ you need. What the hell does she have that I don't? What can she do that I can't?" he demanded in a desperate kind of anger.

Haruno took a step forward and opened her mouth. But, avoiding trouble, Ino squeezed her hand and stepped in front of her with quick shake of her head. Taking a deep breath, she choked out something she knew she would hate herself for later.

"Look Kiba, I know this is hard, _so_ hard, for you to comprehend; What with you being a narrow-minded, slow, dumb fuck and all. But...but...I…I…l-lo…love her, a-alright?"

Ino wasn't sure whether she should laugh at the priceless look on his face, or worry about the slightly surprised frown on her face. Though that was the case, she felt her hand tense up even more. It was a very small movement, but Ino was sure she felt it when she said those words. _Damn, does this girl capable of feeling anything at all?_

"L-love?" Kiba gaped at the two of them. "How can there be love with two women when you claim to have never loved me. A man! There's just no such thing, baby. C'mon let's just stop this. My house. Right now. I'll give you the ride of your life. C'mon, don't make me beg."

With a sigh of resignation, Ino ignored him and stalked off towards the office with Haruno in tow. Ino knew he wasn't going to follow them now, he had too much of an ego for that.

"That guy's fucking pathetic, disgusting even," Haruno said boredly, anchoring them down to a slow walk just as they were approaching the office, "just like your acting. Of all the dicks in the world, you had to choose his, is a one-night-stand worth that much trouble?"

Ino scowled and her hand out of Haruno's, grabbing her wrist once again. "Why don't you worry about yourself and what you're going to say to Tsunade when you see her?"

"Tsunade? Is that where you're taking me?" Haruno said flatly, a smirk playing on her lips.

With a roll of her eyes, Ino replied, "Don't play dumb. There is only so much stupidity a person can take in a day."

Haruno slinked her hand around the one that held her wrist and wrapped her fingers around Ino's wrist before pulling them into an abrupt stop. The blonde staggered backwards slightly but caught herself. "I'll negotiate like mature individuals like you said. You have two choices. And depending on the one you choose, you might come to regret ever meeting me _very_ much in the near future."

"I already regret it. I've got nothing to lose then," Ino said warily. She tried to move on, but the steel-like grip on her wrist prevented her from taking more than a step forward.

"If I run away, I'd get caught eventually. But if you let me go and just forget the whole thing, I _assure _you that this will be the last of me and Temari. If I run, at least getting caught wouldn't be your fault. But if you're stubborn enough to turn me into Tsunade, all I can say is you better brace yourself. You'll regret this day ever happened. You'll regret meeting me. And most of all, you'll regret this little tattling of yours."

Ino glanced up into the dense darkness of Haruno's sunglasses. Only when she felt she had made direct eye contact did she speak. Slowly and firmly, she said, "It doesn't matter what you do, you don't scare me. And nothing you say will ever change that."

"Oh don't worry, it'll happen."


	2. Kidnapped!

A/N: Sorry for the wait! I went through yet another tiny writers block. And I really hadn't planned anything when i started ch2...

BTW this chapters been reformatted...the lines had been added because was being mean XD

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Chapter 2

Ino looked across the grassy field of the school's front yard. She was waiting for her friend who was obviously late. She had insisted that she walk her to her car, but the brunette refused to accept the help saying she had business to take care of before leaving. She had said ten minutes, but it's already been twenty. Ino could only sit on the front steps, idly looking at her nails while she waited. Tenten was one of the most punctual people she knew. Something must've happened to her, the blonde thought frightfully.

The front door burst open, jerking the blonde's attention towards it. A male student walked out which fully convinced Ino she was being paranoid now. The doors swung open a second time and a horde of giddy females filed out. Ino grumbled and checked her watch. _Fuck, she's later than usual…should I go look for her?_ As she played with the idea a bit more, the brunette in question stormed out of the heavy glass doors.

"All done?" Ino inquired not paying much attention to her friend's fuming expression.

"Yeah, just one more thing…" Tenten grumbled. The blonde looked at her expectantly. Tenten pointed a thumb behind her. "Just get rid of them first."

Ino looked behind the taller girl and mentally cursed. There standing behind Tenten, the obnoxious duo stood casually leaning on the metal railings. Temari greeted with a mock salute and a wink. Haruno leaned on the railing, staring out across the field, her cigarette gone. She smirked as she caught Ino looking at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Haven't you done enough to the two of us today?" Ino asked exasperatedly, ignoring the smirk.

"On the contrary, Ms. Council President," Temari stepped forward and draped an arm around Tenten's shoulders. The brunette twitched noticeably under the unwelcome touch as she tried to shrug off the taller girl's arm. She had succeeded and gave a sigh of relief, only to find the girl's hands at her waist this time. She tried to pry her larger hands off, but whenever she succeeded, they always ended up somewhere else.

"We haven't done anything to you…" Temari turned and buried herself into the softness of Tenten's chocolate brown hair, only to be elbowed in the stomach by the visibly pissed off brunette.

Haruno stepped up and pulled her friend behind her with a roll of her eyes, which of course went unnoticed to everyone due to the darkness of her shades.

"We haven't done anything to you…yet," the pink haired girl finished off.

Ino crossed her arms, looking into those dark sunglasses critically, "Yet, huh? And what do you think you two can possibly do?"

"That's for you to find out. Just know, Yamanaka Ino, this last year we spend together will be abso-fucking-lutely wonderful." Haruno grinned. Ino groaned loudly before quickly grabbing her friend's arm and attempt to make an exit.

The pink haired girl stepped up and shoved the brunette out of the way, knocking her into the arms of the tall sandy-blonde. Her concealed eyes never left Ino's. She grabbed the blonde's collar and pulled her up so they were eye-level. Ino stared wide-eyed into her captor's sunglasses. Ino couldn't see through the thick blackness, but knew it was probably better of that way.

"Hey! What the f—" Tenten's were muffled as Temari clasped a hand on her mouth. Ino saw, out of the corner of her eyes, Tenten struggling to escape the tall girl's grasp. Temari laughed at the smaller girls attempts but only held her tighter.

"Look at me, bitch!" Haruno growled, jerking Ino's collar. "I'm not scared of you either. You've cost me a lot with this suspension, and no one-_no one_- gets away with fucking with me."

Ino swallowed but refused to let the girl intimidate her. Covering every last trace of fear she smirked. "If you spent that much energy studying, you wouldn't let a little suspension like this get to you," she quipped. She had expected the pink-haired gangster to turn on her in utter fury. Or even better, let go of her and stomp off. But to the blonde's dismay, the girl only smirked.

"Yamanaka Ino. You are one crazy son of a bitch you know that? You're always the ass-kisser aren't you, Ms. High-And-Mighty?" she laughed a dry contemptuous laugh, "I wonder how many people you've fucked to get where you are right now. Certainly not enough to have to put up with…" Haruno jerked the blonde forwards, kissing her hard. She bit down on Ino's lower lip, licking off the blood in process. Ino's eyes grew wide as she felt the other girl's tongue pushing it's way through her mouth, nearly causing the blonde to gag.

"…Me," she whispered in a hostile tone, withdrawing abruptly. Haruno turned her head and chuckled into the blonde's ear.

"See you in two weeks, babe," she said gruffly before finally letting go of Ino and casually walking away. Ino wiped her hand on the sleeve of her jacket vigorously, in attempt to get rid of the taste of the taller girl in her mouth. She cursed loudly after seeing the blood on her sleeve.

"Tsk, I hate it when she's pissed." Ino turned to look at the girl who had spoken. Temari just shook her head and released Tenten before running after Haruno.

* * *

Ino slumped into her computer chair, forehead resting on her unopened textbook. Since she had obtained the position of Student Council President, she had been bombarded with endless responsibilities. Every question, complaint, and suggestion was now her responsibility to find an answer to. 

Her situation with Haruno, of course, was not her first concern regarding violence at school. Naruto's ex-boyfriend, Gaara, sent more than one student to the hospital every time he was pissed. Fortunately, he does not feel much most of the time. But even so, Ino never requested for him to be suspended. Even if she had her responsibilities, she still feared for her own life.

On top of all the bullshit she had to deal with, there was also homework and tests. If she couldn't maintain her grades, it would not only disappoint a good number of people, but could also affect her future.

Her messenger box popped out from her desktop, signaling a new instant message from Tenten. "It's 2AM, Ino. Go to bed," she had written in a bold black font.

"You're still up. Why should I go?" Ino typed in tiredly.

"Touché. Why are you up so late? Studying? Or did you find a new boyfriend?"

"I wouldn't be responding if I had a new boyfriend, genius. I've got a bio test tomorrow, and you know how Hatake is. No mercy at all."

"Just studying? I'd imagine you'd be busy fuming over Haruno."

"Jeez, how can you tell?"

"C'mon Ino, after that kiss? Oh don't tell me you enjoyed that." Ino blushed despite knowing it was not the case. The kiss had been plaguing her all night. It made her more furious every time she thought back to it. It was rough and empty, obviously done with the goal of infuriating the blonde. Not to mention it left her a bloody, swollen lip. Ino hadn't expected it but, though she had done it mockingly, it was a new sensation to her. She thought back for a minute. It was much different from kissing a guy, but it was done in so much scorn the blonde couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.

"Tenten…that bitch was fucking around and you know it. I've never been so humiliated. Now you think I enjoyed it?" Ino typed back furiously.

"Well, I thought she was a pretty good kisser."

"Oh, I didn't realize you liked having someone shove their tongue down your throat like that. Or is it that you …swing _that_ way?"

"Hey that's not true! You've met every one of my boyfriends. Besides, she didn't even use her tongue."

"Oh yeah, I met every one of your two boyfriends in the past. Impressive."

"Hey at least I can keep count of mine!"

"Well, what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It mean's you're popular, my friend, _and_that you've got a lot of spare time. Gee, I wonder why."

"Hey, hey, what are you trying to imply? You're the one who doesn't trust me with council work!"

"And I have a good reason to. Anyway, I gotta go. You're distracting me you know that? Seriously, get some sleep."

"Yes mom. G'nights."

"Bye."

Ino closed the chat box and diverted her attention from the screen. Though she knew she couldn't risk failing anything, she was too exhausted to continue studying. She pushed away her unopened textbook and got up to embrace the welcoming warmth of her bed.

* * *

"God, what a headache," Ino grumbled as she sat down at her usual table for lunch. 

Ino took at good look at her Sloppy Joe for the first time and cringed in disgust. The whole morning had been nothing but a blur. She moved quite normally but her mind was blank. She had fallen asleep as soon as she hit the bed. This, of course, resulted in endless hours of homework and studying through the whole morning. The blonde was both mentally and physically worn out.

"You look dead," Shikamaru remarked lazily, leaning back on his chair.

"Seriously, Shikamaru. And you'd think a guy with an IQ of two hundred would be a bit more descriptive with his observations, "Ino said sarcastically. The boy beside her merely shrugged, finding the high ceiling more interesting to look at than Ino.

"Just relax, Ino. You're always stressing out so much," Tenten said pointedly from across the table.

"Yeah, it's been a lot worse since you joined the council," said Shikamaru.

"Fuck you, Shika. You're the one who nominated me," Ino retorted.

"Well I wasn't gonna do something so troublesome."

"By the way," Tenten interjected, "the meeting's been rescheduled to today after school."

The blonde groaned. Of all the days to have a Student Council meeting, it had to be the day she felt like a zombie. "Did you inform everyone?" Ino asked. Tenten looked up at her from her salad with a blank expression. "Well…Shikamaru was supposed to…" Both girls turned to look at the lazy genius that was supposed to be the treasurer. Shikamaru shrugged. "I told anyone I saw."

"Which are…?"

"Everyone but Hinata."

Ino took a deep breath and pushed away her tray of untouched food. Slowly she got up and headed for the wide exit of the noisy cafeteria. Tenten shot a look at her companion but said nothing as she got up to follow the blonde.

The library was located in the far corner of the school. Tenten followed the blonde smoothly, leaving space between the two of them. Once in a while she would float off to have a short conversation with the students but she did not keep her eyes off the blonde. She was quite aware that Ino knew she was following her, of course. She hadn't been discreet about it in the first place. But giving Ino space was the best option at the moment.

Ino walked into the school's massive library with a feeling of missed familiarity. It's been a while since she had entered this part of the school. The blonde spotted Hinata on a lounge chair a bit further into the library. She had a book in hand, her thumb marking the page she was on. The usually shy individual was conversing with someone sitting in front of her, the high back of the chair facing Ino. The blonde was much too far away to hear what they were talking about. Hinata looked slightly concerned but nevertheless talking easily with the person. Ino assumed it was Neji, her cousin, as he was the only person Hinata didn't blush and stutter around.

Before advancing towards her, Ino looked around. She could've sworn Tenten had been behind her most of the time, but she must've wandered off to look at some books.

* * *

The brunette felt herself being pushed into a darker corner of the library. She tried to scream, but her captor's hands were firmly planted on her mouth. No matter how hard she tried, she could not pry the large hand off of her face. She could not tell who it was as she was pressed into her captor's chest. It was, without a doubt, a pair of breasts that were pressing themselves into her back. The brunette had a feeling who the woman was, which gave her all the more reason to fight back.

* * *

"Hinata," Ino greeted as she approached the shy girl. 

"Ah, I-Ino-san! W-What are y-you d-doing here?"

"Well, the lazy bastard forgot to tell you something so I'm here to deliver the message." The blonde looked around. "The meeting's been rescheduled last minute. I hope you didn't have any plans. Its today after school."

"U-Uhm…well…t-that is…" Hinata stared at her forefingers poking each other nervously.

"No way. She's busy today, you'll have to do without her." A familiar voice said behind Ino.

Her eyes widened as she noticed the girl in the seat behind her. "What the _hell_ is she doing here?" She cried pointing a finger accusingly at the girl. Several students turned to look at them curiously.

"O-Oh I d-didn't realise y-you knew S-- I-I mean, Haruno-san," Hinata said with a strange hopefulness in her voice.

"Aren't you supposed to be _suspended_?"

"Well I'm just here to visit Hina-chan here," she replied with a smile.

"Do you realize you're not supposed to be anywhere _near_ the campus?"

"Of course."

"Then you should know that I _could_ double the length of your suspension, or even get you expelled."

"I'm aware of that. I didn't think you'd be in the library of all places. At least not in the lounge here. I would expect you to be some dark corner with one guy or another." Ino glared at the other girl.

"A-Ah! Ino-san, it's okay. S-she's not doing anything wrong! J-Just l-let her off the hook t-this time. P-please…?" Hinata interrupted.

Ino rolled her eyes. "You're a dead man if I find out you've been corrupting Hinata. If I don't kill you, I'm sure Neji would."

Haruno stared at the blonde blankly before bursting into laughter. "I'm serious, bitch! It's not funny!"

* * *

Tenten cautiously inched out her tongue. Opening her mouth a bit more, she bit down on the person's hand. Hard. Though her captor did not scream out, she had momentarily loosened her grip. Before she could do anything else, the smaller brunette spun around, her fist up high. The person ducked, and because Tenten had put so much power into her punch, she nearly fell over. Her captor quickly straightened up again and grabbed both of Tenten's wrists. The brunette felt herself being pushed backwards into the wooden shelves.

* * *

"God, Yamanaka, you're dense," she said between giggles. Ino glared at her once more before turning to Hinata. 

"You're gonna be there right? I have a feeling this could be important."

"A-Actually…" Hinata looked up into Ino's soft blue eyes, "I-I really c-can't. B-But I-I'll be s-sure to get the d-details from Tenten-san."

Ino frowned. "You're not going anywhere with this shithead are you?"

"W-Well…"

"Yeah, bitch. We're going back to my apartment for a night of hot, passionate sex. You better be jealous." Haruno said, pure sarcasm oozing out of her voice. "Where we go is none of your business. See, we don't pry about your personal life, so back off all right? Truthfully speaking, I don't think either of us cares who you fuck anyway."

"For your information," Ino said, tired of being called a whore so many times in two days, "I'm not even seeing anyone right now. Kiba was my last one and you met him yesterday too."

"He's absolutely charming. But I really don't care. So I guess I'm done here. Parking lot after school 'kay, Hina-chan?" She smiled brightly at the shy girl before getting up.

"Jesus, Hinata," Ino said after Haruno was out of earshot, "I've known you all my life and I never knew you to have _this_ type of friends. Well I need to go find Tenten. She disappeared once I came in." Hinata blinked confusedly.

"Do you want some help?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. She should be close by."

* * *

The silhouetted face came to light for the first time and Tenten cursed herself for her correct hunch. 

"Why are you always trying to hurt me?" A pair of deep green eyes stared into Tenten's with feigned sadness. Her chocolate eyes darkened, narrowing as she spoke. "I'm always trying to hurt you? You're the one holding me captive, bitch!"

Temari smiled. She leaned forward slowly, the tip of her nose touching Tenten's.

"I just can't seem to resist you. And this is the only way I could…" The taller girl leaned forward to kiss the brunette's lips, but met only her cheeks. Though she had missed her mark, she took this opportunity anyway. Temari wrapped an arm around Tenten's waist, as she trailed kisses down her neck. She bit down lightly, leaving a small mark of territory.

"Goddammit, get away from me!" Tenten growled. Forgetting who she was dealing with, she kneed Temari hard in the crotch.

"What the—"

The unexpected contact jumpstarted Temari's libido. She collapsed into the smaller girl's body, a soft moan escaping her lips. Tenten looked down at her fearfully, as she had not expected her reaction.

Temari straightened up a bit but stayed close to Tenten. Her dark eyes flickered dangerously. Grabbing the girl by the collar, she smirked.

"You're clearly gender-confused. But do that again and I guarantee you'll be the one on your knees." She dropped Tenten abruptly. Turning to leave, she said, "Well, that was fun. But we're done here. See you around."

"W-What the fuck was that for?" Tenten demanded angrily once Temari's back was turned.

"Ah, nothing really. Haruno was busy so I got bored. Looks like she's done now, so I'll see you around. Damn I really wish I got that kiss though," Temari turned around again and smiled. "Maybe next time, eh?"

* * *

Ino looked through the massive shelves, running up and down the endless aisles. Suddenly, she caught sight of a sandy blonde pompom, bouncing with each step its owner took towards the end of the aisle. Ino ran out quickly, trying to catch up. 

"Temari!" The tall girl turned around at the sound of her name. "Where's Tenten?" Ino demanded.

"Tenten?" Temari smiled slyly, "she was still getting dressed when I left. She should still be back there." She nodded towards the direction from where she came. Ino merely gaped at her was the words registered in her mind.

"Oh god, you bitch!" The sunny blonde muttered before dashing towards the direction Temari had pointing. Temari laughed and shook her head. She was pretty sure she's never seen anyone run so fast in five-inch heels.

Tenten straightened herself up quickly, dusting off her pants and smoothing out her T-shirt. She unzipped her hoodie and took it off in order to brush off the dust from the back. The shelves she had been pushed against were rarely touched, as this area was particularly dark. Her eyes roamed over a couple of titles, nothing that some of these weren't even legible. She leaned over to try to read some of titles, dropping her hoodie in the process. As she leaned over to pick it up, she didn't notice the blonde blur rushing towards her.

"Tenten!" The brunette looked up, only to be met with a face full of silky blonde hair.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Ino asked in a panic-stricken tone.

"Uh yeah, why?"

"I ran into Temari while I was looking for you!"

"Great." Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Where's your jacket?"

"You're standing on it…"

"Sorry…" Ino apologized, stepping off of the red jacket sheepishly. "So uh…did you guys…you know?"

Tenten blinked. "What?"

"I don't know, I just never thought you were interested in women. _Especially_ women like Temari."

"What the hell are you talking about, Ino?"

"Holy shit, Tenten!" Ino's eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of something. "Is that…is that a…hickey?"

"Huh?" The brunette struggled to see what her friend was freaking out about. "I can't see it."

"God I can't believe you did that! You've always been so…decent."

"What the fuck are you trying to-- Oh! Jesus, we didn't _do_ anything. Whatever she told you, I can't believe you believed her." Tenten laughed and dusted off her jacket once more.

"Then…then how do you explain the hickey and the jacket?"

Tenten sighed. "It's a long story. C'mon let's head back."

* * *

A/N: Sorry this was a bit short XD But yeah. R&R please.. 


	3. Why Me?

A/N: Yay finally got chapter three done! Sorry for the gianormous lag for this chapter. But here it is. Enjoy and don't hesitate to drop off a comment :D

* * *

**Chapter 3 : Why Me?  
**

Ino sighed in relief after having nearly lost the pair when she exited the school's parking lot. Curiosity had won over responsibility and the meeting was called off. The blonde followed the pink-haired girl's bike two car spaces behind. Tenten sat sulking in the back seat, not that Ino cared at this particular moment. "Dammit, Ino, why the hell did you drag me into this?"

"You didn't have to," Ino retorted, her eyes not leaving the motorcycle one car in front.

"Did too! You dragged me here, dammit! Remember the pulling by the collar? I didn't even get to go to my locker," Tenten said with a pout.

"Just be quiet or we'll lose them. I'll buy you ice cream or something afterwards."

"I'm not a kid, Ino."

"Then just be quiet. It'll save me a couple dollars anyway."

The brunette sighed loudly, burying her face in her hands. "I'm gonna get kidnapped again," she wailed.

"Hey, I'm not responsible for your virginity, alright? Oh, wait. What virginity?"

"Shut up! You're not too clean yourself! It's all your fault I got molested! Twice! Dammit if anything happens to me this time, Imma get your ass!"

"After mines now too, eh?" Ino replied with a chuckle. Tenten didn't reply knowing she couldn't win this fight no matter what she said and merely glared at the rearview mirror. The blonde smiled back just to irritate her even more. She hated it when Tenten loses her cool, but she really didn't want to have to confront the gangster alone.

Only ten minutes ago did the last bell ring, signaling the end of class. As soon as it did, Ino was the first out the door and into her car, a slightly pissed off Tenten dragging behind her. They waited in the parking lot for Haruno and Hinata to appear. They didn't have to wait long as Haruno pulled in quickly in her deep green cruiser, a second helmet hanging off the handlebars, no doubt for Hinata. To the girls' surprise, Temari pulled up beside Haruno in a worn-out Wrangler. They exchanged a couple of words that the duo were too far away to hear. Temari drove away as soon as Hinata came through the doors, arousing Tenten's suspicions. Ino was too focused on the navy-haired girl to notice.

"Ino, let's get outta here."

"No way in hell, Tenten. C'mon, what are you scared of?"

"You know damn well what I'm afraid of!"

"Not really. Oh! Oh! They're leaving! No second thoughts now," Ino said with a grin. The two watched Haruno start up her bike with Hinata clutching onto her waist tightly. Ino initiated the engine but gave the other girls a head start before following them. That was the beginning of the vice president's sulk session.

Back to the little car chase, Ino nearly ran over a pedestrian as she accelerated in attempt to keep in sight of Haruno's bike. Tenten sunk into her seat, trying to melt into the soft leather. "Shit, Ino! Let me out," the brunette repeated for what must've been the twentieth time. The blonde ignored her, speeding a red light and narrowly losing Haruno in process. It was times like these when Tenten wished she could be back at school cloud-watching with Shikamaru. In truth, anything would beat being with a crazy blonde teenager chasing after a dangerous enemy for no apparent reason. And if she was lucky enough, she thought pessimistically, she'll get whisked away by a certain Suna transfer student, which Tenten had recently found out. Although, Tenten knew Ino hadn't seen the Jeep this morning, she felt compelled to warn her about it. But she knew it would be futile when she was this determined. Being the quick-thinker she was, it didn't take much for her to deduct danger ahead. Having followed Haruno and Hinata so far with Temari nowhere in sight, Tenten was almost positive that they were being led.

It wasn't too long when the cruiser arrived at a large apartment. Ino watched from the curb a good distance away. Haruno got off the bike and entered the building, leaving Hinata alone. Neither of the two had even bothered to remove their helmets. The pink-haired girl reemerged later with two boxes and a bouquet of fresh flowers. One of the boxes were bigger than the other. The bigger one appeared to be hand painted while the other was a manufactured paper box. Being the heiress of a flower shop, Ino recognized the flowers immediately as spider flowers, usually given to say, "Elope with me". Haruno handed Hinata the flowers with a small smile and boarded the bike again. Tenten shrugged it off as Hinata seemed indifferent about the gifts. But Ino gaped at them before initiating the engine. Her brows furrowed and her eyes narrowed as she watched the two exit the area. She followed behind them with a scary look on her face.

"Are you okay?" Tenten asked her friend cautiously.

"Hell no! I'm not gonna let Hinata run away with a monster like her," Ino replied through gritted teeth.

"R-Run away?"

"It's the flowers. It's cleome!" Tenten sunk into her seat in disbelief. If there was one thing to trust Ino on, it was flowers. The blonde was never wrong when it comes to reading the message in flowers. But still, she knew Hinata was more responsible than that and it must be a misunderstanding. _Wonderful_, Tenten thought, _why am I even _trying_ to think this through rationally? _

The wild goose chase was on again, this time more fervent than the last. The blonde weaved through the rush hour traffic as Tenten clung to her seat belt for dear life, still unconsciously looking for the old Jeep. There were a couple of times when Ino could've sworn she caught the glint of Haruno's sunglasses. She was afraid she had been seen, but the expression on Haruno's face would remain solemn, thus proving her wrong. But she told herself she didn't care if she had been seen, as long as Hinata remains safe.

Before long, the duo found themselves entering a more rural area as the traffic became more and more sparse. Stop lights were getting less frequent and pedestrians were becoming harder and harder to spot. They had been driving for half an hour now and Tenten was starting to get worried. To her right were green pastures and occasional livestock with trees dotting the background in a disturbingly tranquil scene. Past the blonde's head to Tenten's left was a similar scene complete with soft, stringy clouds in the background. The brunette let herself absorb the picturesque environment and relaxed, not doubting for a second that Ino had no idea where they were.

"It's nice out here," Tenten said over the fresh, but rough, breeze flying over the convertible.

"Shut up or they'll see us!" Ino replied with an equally loud tone.

"Oi, we're in plain view right now if you haven't noticed." Tenten rolled her eyes, idly running her hand over the side of the car. She couldn't help but smile when Ino didn't reply. Ino had no idea what she was getting the two of them into and for once, Tenten really didn't care—who cares where Temari could be lurking now right? Hell, she probably doesn't have a thing to do with this. She probably doesn't even know Haruno and Hinata were eloping.

Just then, out of nowhere, a figure darted out from the side. Ino slammed the brakes hard, just narrowly missing the figure.

Both were much too lost in their own thoughts to have noticed the—you guessed it—faded blue Wrangler on the side of the road. Ino's heart skipped more than a beat. She took a deep breath as her brain finally registered what had happened. Tenten slouched in her seat and closed her eyes in attempt to catch her breath.

"What the hell?" Ino said to no one in particular. She shook her head and looked around for the insane stranger.

"Holy shit, girl! You nearly killed me!" An all too familiar voice came from the front of the car.

"Oh God," Tenten muttered, not bothering to risk opening her eyes. Speak of the Devil. Temari came up to Ino's side of the car and raised an eyebrow at the brunette before saying, "About time you two arrived."

"What are you doing here?" Ino said.

"Well if I told you now, I bet you anything you'll never catch up with those two."

"Oh shit! I forgot about them for a second."

"Well, tell you what. I'll let you go if you can fix my tire." Ino looked at her with disbelief.

"What the hell? No!"

"Well you know if you don't…"

"Okay, okay fine. Take Tenten with you, she knows some stuff about cars, just promise to bring her home safely." Temari grinned and skipped over to Tenten's side of the car. The brunette straightened up immediately and slapped her friend on the arm.

"Oh my fucking God, Ino! What the hell do you think you're doing? What is _wrong_ with you!"

"If something happens, call the cops alright? You just have to fix a tire, you're good with that stuff aren't you?" The blonde said, unlocking the door. As soon as she said it, she shoved Tenten out, closed the door, and sped away.

"Ah, fuck," Tenten muttered, kicking an unfortunate pebble across the dusty path. She turned around to face the other teen, who leaned against the car casually brushing the dirt off her jacket. She looked up at Tenten and raised a brow. Tenten looked back expectantly but she only shrugged.

"Let's get to it, shall we?"

"Do you have a spare?" Tenten asked walking around to the back of the Jeep. Temari blinked as if the question was too difficult for her to comprehend.

"Uh, where would you usually keep a spare?" She asked.

"How would I know where you keep your spares? Your trunk, I guess?" Temari walked around to open the trunk, shuffling through the endless amount of junk.

"Fuckin' Kankurou…,"she muttered. She gave a sigh, scratching the back of her neck as she turned to face Tenten. "Guess we'll just have to wait for them to come back."

"Lovely," Tenten said cynically.

"Well, it won't be more than a couple hours, I'm guessing. This is the only road back. But if we're lucky, we can just hijack some passerby," Temari replied with a wide grin. Tenten rolled her eyes and took a seat on the hood of the car.

Although she kept her cool on the outside, she was more than a little scared of her companion. Even if she hadn't done anything quite yet, there was no saying what she will do as she gets bored. Tenten cursed Ino for leaving her with Temari knowing what had happened in the library. The brunette didn't understand why these things kept happening to her. It was almost frustrating. But she had seen the sandy-blonde at school. She was cold, yet she had seen girls literally queuing up for a chance to talk to her. Even so, she didn't seem to pay them any interest. So, Tenten concluded, she must be straight. Although that really wouldn't explain Temari's interest in a plain girl like her. So she must be just using her. It wouldn't surprise Tenten if it was Haruno's fault. Thinking back to the pink-haired girl, Tenten started to wonder how Ino was doing. And suddenly, she laughed. She laughed at how stupid this situation was. She laughed at how stupid Ino was. She laughed at how stupid she was for following the idiot.

Temari came around with a cigarette hanging off her lips as she took a seat next to Tenten. She held out a cigarette box in front of Tenten in an offer. The brunette scowled in distaste and shook her head.

"Didn't think you'd want one anyway," Temari said with a smirk, "too good for that, eh? Just thought you needed one to calm down. You suddenly started laughing. Kinda scared me there."

"It's just a bit funny how I seem to always end up being stuck with you."

"Hey, hey, quit sounding so cynical. I mean well, y'know?"

Tenten narrowed her eyes. "Yeah after you very nearly raped me."

"But I didn't, now did I?"

"Who knows what you're going to do now that we're stuck alone together in the middle of nowhere. And all we got is a Jeep with a busted wheel," Tenten grumbled.

"Ooh la la, kinky, kinky," Temari said with a grin, earning a glare from the brunette. "But, heh, don't flatter yourself. I'm not that bored. Besides, I gotta save my energy for beating the living shit out of Kankurou tonight."

"Kankurou?"

"Well, yeah, it's his car. So therefore it's his fault we're stuck out here."

"Isn't he…Gaara's brother?" Tenten said incredulously.

"What? Are you after Gaara's pants too? Or are you scared of him?" She said with a smirk.

"Well, I don't know… I just can't believe you're brave enough to mess with them."

Temari looked at her before bursting into laughter. "I don't believe I need anyone's permission to beat up my own brother. And I've had more than enough experience to defend myself from Gaara. Unless he's absolutely furious, but he really is too much of an emo-kid for that." Tenten nearly fell off the hood of the car after what Temari had just said registered in her brain. Siblings. She's heard rumours about the three siblings from Suna, but never really thought much about them. From what she'd heard from a couple of girls in her classes was that all three were absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. Gaara was the most popular among the three for his dangerous attitude and unique features. Or maybe it was the eyeliner. But anyway, Kankurou has a more masculine build than his brother and was an outgoing, smooth-talker. The two were no doubt good-looking and—though Tenten hated to admit it—Temari was no exception when inheriting their parents' genes. She tried to keep herself as scarce as she could but still stole the hearts of boys and girls alike. Just like her brothers. Her body gave no indication of any doubt of her feminity, yet her attitude and style made her attractively androgynous. Tenten looked over at the sandy-blonde and noticed that she and her siblings had the exact same eyes: A deep, enigmatic, shade of forest green. And the three of them had transferred from Suna on the same day. Why hadn't she noticed before? But they don't really…

"Hey I know what you're thinking, we really don't look much alike right?" Tenten gave a small jump of surprise as she read her thoughts.

"For one, we all have different coloured hair. None of us bothered to dye it so it's our natural colour. But besides looks, we don't really think much alike either. I mean…they're guys. What can I say? Don't get me wrong, we get along well. Even if we do like beating each other up." Temari laughed at Tenten's bemused expression. "It's just a sibling thing, y'know? Let me guess, you're an only child?" The brunette nodded. "Well I suppose in some ways you can consider yourself lucky. Wanna see this fantastic scar I have." Tenten shook her head and began to decline but the taller girl had already began removing her leather jacket. She lifted her tank top just under half way, much to Tenten's relief, and revealed a long mark that started from her side and disappeared under her shirt. Tenten stared wide-eyed and wondered how much pain had been inflicted. Unconsciously, she reached out and tentatively touched it. Temari looked at her curiously but didn't resist. To Tenten's surprise, the skin under her fingers didn't feel any different. It had almost blended in with Temari's flesh, leaving just a mark behind. She was in a trance as she traced the marred skin with her finger. She'd never touched another girl like this before, not even playfully. Neji's skin wasn't at all like this. He was more muscled, while Temari's was soft and smooth.

Then realization hit her and she recoiled like she had just touched boiling water. Her face flushed in embarrassment, but she tried to hide it as she straightened up. Temari laughed as she pulled her jacket back on. "I think it was Gaara who did that." She shrugged, "It'd been ages since I'd shown anyone but I must say I'm quite amused." Tenten scowled and turned away.

The two fell into a strangely comfortable silence. The only sound came from Temari as she finished off her cigarette and chucked it aside before walking over to step on it with her heavy boots. Tenten walked over to a short fence that separated the grass and the dirt and climbed over it. She sat down on the dusty wood with her back to the Jeep and silently stared at the clouds, wondering if a certain lazy bastard was looking at the same ones.

"I wonder," Temari said slowly, "Would it be crazy to consider walking back?"

"That's more than crazy," Tenten replied lazily.

"Do you have a phone?"

"Forgot to get it today."

"One of those days, eh?" She said as she came over and took a seat next to me. At that moment Tenten realized that neither of them cared anymore. It was nice to be away from the loud city and just be here—in the middle of nowhere. It felt strange to think that her only companion was the sly sandy-blonde who had been so straightforward with her actions just a couple hours ago. The situation was just so strange, Tenten didn't know what to think. _Maybe she's bipolar_, Tenten thought with a small laugh.

"You're really weird," Temari said, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"What?"

"You laughed for no reason again."

"Just thinking, that's all."

"Ooh, you're bad."

"What? What! _I'm _bad?" Tenten exclaimed, standing up abruptly. Temari stared at her, the look of surprise crossing her face for a second. "Touchy."

"Am not," She said with a sigh as she let herself fall into the grass. The other girl looked at her with a raised brow. Suddenly she stood up and went back to the car. Tenten closed her eyes, relaxing herself for a second before she felt something soft hit her in the face. She sat up and grabbed the material off her face. It was a blue blanket.

"Let's go on that little hill over there," she said gesturing with a nod, "It's going to be a pretty long wait."

* * *

A/N: Just a little note. I don't know jack shit about flowers so I googled it :D I know, I know, but at least I'm being honest. Anyway, if I'm wrong, just let me pretend I'm right or tell me. Preferably the latter. 


	4. It's Not an Irrational Fear

A/N: This chapter came faster than I thought and it's slightly longer, in my opinion. Anyway, there are two polls on my profile page so if you're bored, please drop by and vote! It's of somewhat importance, though not really. Yeah, and don't forget to drop off a review. I will probably start replying to them XD Oh, and my spring break starts today so if I'm lucky, I'll get another chapter done soon. (:

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Chapter 4: It's Not an Irrational Fear 

The blonde swerved into a wide vacant lot, having finally reached a dead end. She looked around and caught a flash of green out of the corner of her eyes. Just as she had hoped, the forest-green cruiser was parked by a high wooden gate. However, its previous passengers were nowhere in sight. On both sides of the gate were two wooden structures, their red paint dull and peeling after so many years. Ino assumed they were barns or stables of some sort. The gate was open but there was not a person in sight. There weren't even the sounds of any kind of livestock. Just dead silence.

Ino stepped through the gate, not entirely sure of what to do. The space between the two buildings were shadowed and eerily dark. She felt as if something was going to spring at her any second. She hoped to catch sight of either Haruno or Hinata, hopefully the latter. Through the path, Ino could make out a large decaying roof held up by columns and beams over a vast expanse of grass and dirt. It seemed like a kind of stable, or a condensed version of a cow field. Yet, there were no cows, horses, sheep, or even chicken. The blonde started towards the field to investigate.

"You're more blonde than I credited you for," said a voice behind the surprised blonde. She stopped walking and spun around. She didn't have to see who the voice belonged to because there was only one person who mocked her this way. But before she could see that face she hated so much, she felt herself being pushed roughly against the side of the barn. The side of her cheek crushed against the crispy paint peelings in a painful position. She could see nothing but the gate from which she came from. Her captor's hand gripped her head so tight, the blonde though for sure her skull would crack open. Both her hands were wrenched behind her back, pinning her to the wall.

"What the hell are you doing, Haruno?" Ino squeaked pathetically, trying to free herself from the other girl's grasp. But she only tightened her hold.

"I should be asking you that. You've been lurking behind us since we got out of the bloody school. What the hell do you want from us?" Ino mumbled something response. Her cheek pressed tightly against the wall, making it somewhat difficult for her to speak. "If you're gonna talk at least try to make it audible."

"I asked you where Hinata was," she said bitterly in a higher volume.

"And if I don't tell you?" Ino cursed under her breath.

"I'll make sure you'll never get a fucking job in your life!"

"Ooh, scary. What? A lifetime of detentions? Or get me expelled? Tsunade's not gonna allow it, dumbass."

"How do you know?"

"Tch, she's soft. So quit trying to act tough and threaten me."

"Fuck you, Haruno! Where's Hinata?"

"Heh. You dirty little dog. You really aren't in any position to ask that. If you could only look at yourself. I can beat you 'til you're black and blue—Hell, I can make it so no man alive will ever want you. And you're still putting up that annoying goody-two-shoes, Council-President front. Who the hell are you even trying to impress?"

"Just tell me where she is, Haruno. I can't let her run away with a fucking asshole like you!"

"God, how did someone as mentally retarded as you ever make it into the Student Council? It doesn't even have anything to do with you," She laughed humourlessly.

"That's not true! She's—" The pink-haired girl didn't let her finish her sentence as she struck her hard across the cheek, sending her to the ground. A cloud of yellow dust exploded into the air but it , as if afraid of Haruno as well, quickly settled back onto the ground. Ino let out a grunt as she hit the ground and tried to get on her feet. But Haruno pounced on top of her, straddling her hip. She grasped her arms and pinned them above her head while keeping her legs still with her own. Ino shifted and tried to free her legs, hoping it would be the weakest seizure, but to no avail.

"See, no matter what you say or do, you can't free yourself. Sad isn't it?" The girl sneered. "Oh, don't tell me you're not used to this, 'cause I wouldn't believe you anyway. Or is it just that you're not used to being jumped so roughly, eh? My best bet is that you're just not used to not getting your way with nobody around to listen to you. Well, tough love, huh?

"It's like you do this everyday, you monster! Let go of me!" Ino spat back. The blonde could taste something salty on her lip, but tried hard not to notice it. _How the hell does she know where to grasp so abruptly? I can't fucking move at all!_

"You won't be seeing Hinata today," she said, ignoring Ino's insult, "she's got something to take care of. However, I will be more than happy to entertain you for the time being. Just know that if you interrogate her on this matter, directly or indirectly, things will not be pretty for both you _and_ your brunette pet. If _anyone_ asks her, I'd know it was your doing. And don't think you're safe just cause you fucking suspended me either."

"That's what you said last time, you shit. You're all talk! As if you'd actually have the balls to hurt me."

"Funny coming from a little hoe like you. Aren't you being a bit too arrogant considering I've got the power to do anything to you at the moment?" Ino groaned as Haruno tightened her hold, twisting her body in a way only a contortionist could handle.

"G-Get off of me!" The pink-haired girl's head fell to one side, a wicked grin on her face. She let go of Ino's arms for a second. The blonde reacted, and tried to get up as quick as she could—But Haruno was faster. She reached out and pressed her hand against Ino's stomach, pushing her back down with seemingly no effort at all.

"You shouldn't have even tried," Haruno said tauntingly. "Tell me, what made you come here?" Ino kept her mouth shut. And now that she finally realized her situation, she could only stare blankly at the other girl's obscured eyes. The ugly truth was: she didn't know. Perhaps it was intuition that led her here, afraid something might've happened to Hinata. Or maybe she was just curious, like Tenten said. Haruno must've saw through her intentions because she pressed down harder on her stomach, making Ino feel like she was going to throw up.

"I thought you were going to hurt her," Ino said quickly, choosing the better story. Haruno raised an eyebrow and challenged, "Did it _look_ like I was going to hurt her? I don't know if you have realized_quite_ yet but excuses like that would not prevent me from harming you in anyway." She grinned a bit sadistically in Ino's opinion and bent down so her face was only centimetres away from Ino's. The hand on her stomach moved lower, the thumb hooking under Ino's shirt. Ino's eyes widened an suddenly felt her bravado fall to the pit of her stomach. _Shit, this is not going to end well_, she thought cynically, _they teach us how to defend ourselves from rapists at school but I guess they never thought a girl could be attacked by another girl. _ Haruno started lifting up Ino's shirt as she dragged her hand over her abdomen. Her other hand loosened from Ino's wrists and fell to her semi-exposed bra, cupping it gently before grazing the rest of her exposed skin. The blonde felt a shiver shoot through her spine and lost herself. Her heart was beating so quickly it felt as if it'd jump out of her chest. She couldn't tell if it was fear or something else, but assumed it to be the former. She had almost surrendered herself to the pink-haired girl, in spite of herself. It escaped her entirely how the pink-haired girl had so much dominance over her, something no one else had.

Haruno couldn't help but smirk, and that was when everything fell back into place. Suddenly, Ino's arm whipped around and landed a punch across Haruno's face, with just enough force to knock her off. It was as if out of reflex, Ino didn't even know she had done it until she registered the sight of Haruno getting to her feet. The blonde wasn't sure what to do and took a step forward in an attempt to help the other girl. She could've sworn her heart had stopped beating the moment she heard a loud _crack_ from under her foot. Slowly, her gaze directed to the ground and recognized at once the shattered glass—Haruno's ever-present sunglasses. A long string of curses ran through Ino's mind before she had the courage to look up at the other girl. Haruno's hand rested at her temples, her shoulders shaking in quiet, but hysterical, laughter. Ino was scared now.

"I thought for sure you'd give in," she said, "I guess you're tougher than I thought you were. Didn't think you'd actually punch me…" She dropped her hand, a menacing look of hostility crossing her face. She grabbed her by the collar and roughly pulled her closer, lifting her above the ground. Ino's eyes widened as her crystal eyes found the other girl's jade green ones for the first time. Even though Haruno was glaring at her, Ino found it strange how she couldn't see her bright eyes through her shades before. But now that she did, she wished she had never punched her. Ino found herself a lot weaker under Haruno's intense glare, and it bothered her more than a little.

"To think, you even went so far as to break my glasses. You're the only one retarded enough to make me hate you more and more," Haruno said, biting the inside of her cheek. She lifted a clenched fist. Ino closed her eyes and was ready to take the hit, when she was suddenly saved by a familiar voice.

"S-Sakura-chan? Where a-are—O-oh…w-what are y-you doing?" Hinata said as she came around the corner, jumping a little at the sight of her friends. Haruno cringed at the sound of her first name being mentioned as Ino stared blankly at Hinata. The pink-haired threw the blonde aside and began walking back in the direction of the gate.

"A-Ah…" Hinata apologized to Ino with a small bow and quickly ran after Haruno.

"How were the fireworks?" Ino heard Haruno say as she slipped past the gate. The blonde scrambled to her feet, her whole body sore.

"I-It was fine," she heard Hinata reply before stumbling after them. But by the time she got past the gate, they were already gone with only a huge cloud of brown dust fading in the horizon. And as Ino sat in her car, she finally realized how stupid this whole thing was. But at least…at least she got to see something incredible, and she berated herself for considering it that, but there really was no other word for it.

Sakura...

* * *

"You see that one there? Yeah, over there. It looks like a whale. Or a dinosaur…maybe an emu. Well, it's one or the other." 

Tenten frowned. "That makes no sense at all. It looks more like a house to me. And none of the items you named have anything in common with each other!"

"Well…that just means you're not creative enough."

"I am!" The brunette said pointing at the sky, "See? That one over there is a heart." Temari burst out laughing at the other girl's deduction. "Nope, you're wrong. It's a butt-crack. Totally a butt-crack."

Tenten gaped at her. "I can't be _wrong_! These things are totally subjective! Look, it's coming apart now, so there!"

"So? It's a big butt-crack. Don't be such a hater. You're just jealous that one's fluffier than yours." Tenten laughed, despite having lost the argument. It was strange how at ease she felt at the moment. Temari was a surprisingly entertaining person and was easy to talk to. Though there was some innuendo that have failed to escape Tenten, she hadn't done anything over the line, much to the brunette's relief.

"Well, fine. Then that one there is a…," Tenten paused to think of the most random thing possible, "pink polka-dotted panda bear hatching a winged elephant on a trapeze." Temari looked at her and blinked.

"Well, that's quite creative except for one thing: clouds cannot be pink."

"Damn it!"

"Nice try though."

Suddenly, out in the distance, the loud whirring of engines was heard over a huge cloud of dust, catching the attention of both Tenten and Temari. There was no doubt it was Haruno's bike, telling from the sound. Temari gestured for Tenten to get off the blanket before snatching it up and running down the hill to greet her friend. Tenten decided it would be best to stay where she was. Haruno's brakes screeched to a stop, nearly skidding across the path as she did so. Tenten saw Temari stagger backwards in a coughing fit before talking to her friend. The first thing she noticed was the absence of the pink-haired girl's sunglasses, but was too far away to see her eyes. Temari and Haruno exchanged a couple words while Hinata remained in her seat saying nothing. Then Haruno got off her bike and wandered a metre or so away from the other two, a, what Tenten assumed to be, cell phone pressed against her cheek. The brunette noticed Temari signalling her to go down. She hesitated for a second but started walking towards Temari and Hinata. However, the taller girl ran up to meet her halfway.

"She's calling for someone to pick up the car," Temari explained. "You'll have to wait for Ino, though. We're going to be leaving as soon as she finishes her phone call. But according to Haruno, Ino shouldn't be _too_ far behind."

"You're _all_ going to pile up on that bike?" Temari smirked. "Yeah, I'm gonna ride in the basket. It's not a problem. True Asians can handle something like this no problem!"

"You don't look Asian," Tenten said bewilderedly.

"I can speak Japanese and that's all that matters," Temari replied with a proud smirk on her face.

About ten minutes later, Haruno stormed back to her bike, giving off an exceptionally dangerous vibe. Tenten strained to see the other girl's face but failed. Hinata threw a worried look at her friend before turning to give Tenten a nervous smile. Tenten returned it the same. That was when Temari caught her off guard, just when Tenten thought she had been so paranoid for nothing. The sandy-haired girl swooped down and captured the smaller girl's lips in a heated kiss. Tenten found herself leaning into it before she could control herself. All rational thoughts seemed to have deserted her. She could barely suppress a moan when Temari's tongue found itself inside her mouth. Temari purred and deepened the kiss.

But just when Tenten thought her legs were going to give way, she saw a flash of light out of the corner of her half-lidded eyes. Her eyes snapped open, finally realising what was happening. She shoved Temari down the slope they were standing on as hard as she could, tumbling backwards herself. She wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket fervently, in spite of her rugged breathing. Temari regained her balance and smiled smugly and triumphantly before heading back to her friend's cruiser.

As Tenten sat there waiting for Ino, in the same spot where she had fallen, she finally remembered how much she hated both Haruno and Temari. Especially Temari.

* * *

That night, Ino stayed over at Tenten's place, as she knew her parents would give her endless hell once they see the state she was in. And she just wasn't ready for that _quite_ yet. There was enough chaos as it is, and her parents' bullshit was the last thing she needed. Tomorrow, she would have to go to school with all her bruises, scrapes and cuts. They weren't anything physically life-threatening, but to Ino, it would have been better if it was. A blackened bruise marred her face. In the midst of her panic, she placed a strip of gauze on the wound to cover it up while she tried to invent a good story to tell the students and teachers. 

"What a mess," Tenten mumbled, not looking up from the textbook on her lap. Ino just groaned. She tried not to think back to the day's events, even though her bruises kept reminding her of the pink-haired girl. She climbed onto Tenten's bed and laid down next to her friend as she stared at the ceiling.

"How was it with what's-her-face today?" Tenten looked up from her book and at her friend. She felt her blood rush to her ears as she recalled the kiss.

"What do you think, idiot? You're the one who left me there."

"You're pinking up."

"I am not."

"Did she…," Ino trailed off and proceeded to pucker her lips while making exaggerated smooching noises. Tenten rolled her eyes and slapped her friend on the arm, but did not say anything more.

"Those two…they really don't like us, do they?"

Tenten raised a brow at the sudden change of subject. "Since when did you care?"

"I don't," Ino paused and sighed, "but after today, it's kind of hard not to be a little bit scared. This is why I try to avoid bullies at all costs."

"You? Scared? Wow, what else is new?"

"Have you not noticed my condition yet?" Ino retorted irritably, sitting up. She pulled up a pant leg to reveal an ugly scrape she had obtained after being thrown to the ground. Tenten didn't bother looking at her injury and smirked, assuring Ino she understood.

"And to think," the blonde continued, "This. Was. All. Your. Fault."

Tenten looked at her alarmingly. "You're the one who provoked them! If it wasn't for your I'm-gonna-suspend-you-no-matter-what shit, then we'd have nothing to do with them."

"No…it's because _you_ piqued their interest. You should just screw the tall one and maybe this nightmare will end." Tenten looked at her disbelievingly and slapped her arm again, but felt a blush creep up nonetheless. She hated herself for not being able to control it but protested anyway. "How could you say that! Why don't you do Haruno, then? After all, _she_'s our biggest problem isn't she?" Ino narrowed her eyes. The thought of the pink-haired girl infuriated her more than anything, yet there was something that bothered her.

"What do you think they'll do next?" The blond said, abruptly changing topics to avoid saying anything more.

"Post pictures on the internet, probably," Tenten murmured angrily. Ino flipped around and sat in front of her in alarm. She slammed both hands onto Tenten's textbook and exclaimed, "Hinata! You don't think she took pictures did she?" The brunette blinked confusedly. Neither had the nerve to share their experiences today so there was no way Ino could know. When Ino didn't say anything more and just stared blankly ahead, Tenten assumed she was just thinking through things on her own and shrugged it off. She pulled her textbook from under Ino's hands and placed it on the end table before falling back on her pillow. "I'm gonna sleep."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Ino replied, climbing into the covers on her side of the bed. Even though both girls were silent, they both knew the other was awake. Each had their own thoughts plaguing them but wished things could be simpler. If only life would be nicer. Tenten was disturbed by the scorching kiss. She didn't want to admit to how much she enjoyed it, but what bothered her more was the flash of light. She assumed it was Haruno and cursed the girl with every fibre in her body. She didn't know Ino was doing the same. However, the blonde cursed herself more for reacting the way she did. If she hadn't struck her, she could easily go on hating her. But one thought bothered her so much, she thought she would implode.

"Hey," Ino said quietly, unable to contain her thoughts any longer.

"Hm?" Tenten rolled over to face her friend, noticing the troubled look on her face that reflected her own.

"I broke Haruno's glasses," explained Ino, averting her eyes nervously.

"I noticed."

"Did you see them?" The blonde locked eyes with her friend, a scary type of seriousness on her face.

Tenten yawned. "See what?"

"Her eyes." The brunette stopped in mid-yawn and stared at her friend expectantly. She clamped her mouth shut rigidly. _Oh God_, she thought, turning her back to Ino.

"No." Ino returned her look fearfully, unsure of how to vocalize the thought in her head. She felt her blood rush and turned her back to Tenten. Her heartbeat seemed to echo through her ears in the dark room.

"I…I want to see them again."

* * *

A/N: End of the line, boys! Well it seems a bit rushed at the moment, but I will sort things out. And just in case you haven't noticed yet, this is written in third-person and will not have any points of view unless I say so. Just sorting that out... I should have said so in chapter 2 but that's alright. This is for those of you who got confused. 


	5. Ino: Pranks and Disasters

A/N: Hey, hey, hey! Here is the fifth chapter, as promised, for my Spring Break! This chapter has nearly reached a total of four thousand words. EXcluding the random bullshit I write up here. So read, review, and whatever else you do with a fanfic. And I apologise for the format of this. I found it necessary to stick it all in big paragraphs just because I'm nice that way. Don't hurt me D: 

Keep in mind that Naruto does not belong to me, but the strange no-name OC's do. Unfortunately. And don't worry, they aren't permanent. Well you'll see. 

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Chapter 5: Ino - Pranks and Disasters

I had a dream about those eyes that night. It was very vague. But the way they stared, it was like those dark glasses were never taken off in the first place. They seemed to be indirectly tearing at your soul without any visible effort. They haunted me that night. They seemed to be everywhere, trying to pry through my own eyes to uncover every single one of my secrets. You have no idea how exposed I felt inside my own mind. It worries me how much smaller I felt under her gaze. But despite my own wishes, I never want to see them again. Because I didn't forget the sadistic mind beyond those eyes. But nobody is truly bad, right? Hinata seemed to confide in her. And Hinata is… well she's Hinata. I don't know. I just want to stop thinking about her. How does someone I despise so much have this strange power over me that I can't control? Oh, god! What if I'm a masochist? That would explain things, but it doesn't exactly seem right either. So I opted with waiting.

I woke up the morning after in Tenten's bed. I hadn't even noticed the absence of my friend until I got downstairs to see her setting out breakfast. I could see she was as tense as I was after last day's events. The two of us tried to appear calm, but when the bacon and eggs refused to stay on our shaking forks, I knew it was pretty futile. I swear I haven't been so afraid of going to school since the first day of kindergarten. But beyond that, I was undeniably pissed at this whole thing. God! If only I hadn't shoved Haruno into the office, than I could live my life at ease! Wait, no, what am I saying? That would be admitting that I am, in fact, scared of her. Well despite what happened, I'm not! And I'm not contradicting myself either! 

As soon as we arrived at school, I realised all the worry was simply a waste of time. The moment I stepped out of the car, I remembered those two bitches had, in fact, been suspended. I couldn't help but laugh at myself at the thought. I was hoping, wishing, they would stick to the rules, unlike last time. The encounter at the library was a real shocker. I don't really know how to face Hinata anymore after that. As for Tenten, I'm still curious to know what happened. But anyway, Tenten and I managed to go through the day rather normally. We passed by Temari once and noticed a small group of girls stalking her behind the wall. Temari looked at us and sneered. Oh, if only those girls knew. But it almost seems Haruno is her only friend. I could be wrong, of course, not that I particularly cared anyway. However, that was as far as it went for the day. No damage at all, directly anyway. All the bruises I got raised everyone's brows. It was an endless amount of interrogation, one person after another. There wasn't a single person in the school, besides Temari, who didn't ask. At first, I wasn't sure how to answer them. So I invented a story about a new abusive boyfriend. I know, I know. At least they believed me, alright? I realise how stupid it sounds; even Tenten rolled her eyes at me. Just like she does with everything else I do, sheesh. Oh yeah, and Hinata's avoiding us, so I don't have to worry about confronting her anyway. 

The days went by quicker than I had anticipated, unfortunately. I can sense Tenten getting as uneasy as I was as the days wore on. Though, I don't see why. We see Temari nearly everyday and she hasn't done much to her aside from smirking. It's now been a week since the day I last saw the pink-haired pain in the ass. And I gotta say I wasn't exactly anticipating her return. In fact, I'm pretty close to forgetting about her entirely. I did my usual morning routines, including picking up Tenten, and drove off to school. I parked in my usual spot, and followed Tenten up the steps to the front door of the school. I was making my way to my locker and focused only on getting to my next class in time. But suddenly, Tenten pulled me to a stop. "Uh, Ino," she said nervously, pointing at the walls, "look." I looked at her confusedly and followed her finger. The eyes of the other students were pinned on me in curiosity. Along the wall, pinned on every third locker, was a picture of a different male student. Under each picture was the caption, "Fucked by the Pig". I gaped in disbelief and quickly began tearing down the posters. Inuzuka, Nara, Hyuuga, Aburame, Akimichi, Uchiha, Yakushi, Lee, and even the other Uchiha's picture were lined up against the lockers. The list went on and on before it started repeating itself. Ew, even Hatake was up there. And probably just for laughs, so was Hatake's Pakkun. I could hear murmurs and snickers all around me. Then I started being confronted by various people, some as angry as hell and others joking about the whole thing. I started defending myself or just playing along. Tenten had already scuttled to class, along with the rest of the student body. I tried to tear down each poster as I walked along the hallway, but there was no way for me to do it as they kept reproducing. I was down to the last one at the end of the hall when I noticed it was a picture of the person I hated most. "What the fuck?" I mumbled angrily. 

"Oh, wow. I didn't know you…Did you do it in my sleep? That's pretty creepy," A voice behind me said sardonically. I swung around quickly, losing my balance in the process. I slammed hard into the lockers as a result. I thought I would see those emerald orbs again—not that I wanted to—but instead saw her pitch-black glasses replaced by another, slightly different, pair. Haruno was leaning against the wall with a box of what appeared to be apple juice before she turned to face me. She gave me an unfriendly smile and slammed one hand next to my head.

"Did you miss me?" I glowered at her. "Did you honestly think I would let you off the hook so easily?" She chuckled humourlessly before contorting her face into a hostile frown. "You were pretty fucking lucky last time, but I'll get you. Abusive boyfriend, eh? I can't believe people actually fell for that. Then again, it's you we're talking about so it doesn't really come as a surprise." She retracted her arm slowly and grinned slyly. I was just about to side-step her and go to class when I suddenly felt something on my jeans. I watched her squeeze her juice box with an innocent grin on her face and wanted to slap it out of her hand, but by then she had already drained its contents into my crotch area. I wanted to say something, to scream even, but nothing came out. I could only gape at her. 

"Don't go around thinking physical pain is all I can inflict. Well, I'm just having fun here. It's a bit juvenile though, isn't it? Oh, but at least I'm not the biggest baby here," the bitch said smugly before turning around. She threw the empty box over her shoulder and watched it bounce off my shoulder before rounding a corner to the adjacent hallway. I stood rooted on the spot, not knowing whether to run or scream. The one thing I knew was that I couldn't go through the rest of the school day in these jeans! 

I trudged to Tenten's locker, earning strange glances from a handful of skipping teens and late students. I felt the blood rush to my ears as I tried to walk down the halls appearing as cool and natural as possible. The puddle around my crotch seemed to expand with every passing second. At that moment, I thanked every deity I could think of for Tenten's choice of retaking physical education after the enormous dilemma last year. I also thanked them for the two of us being good enough friends to know each other's locker combinations. Now, I don't feel the need to tell you how absolutely awkward it was for me to be wearing basketball shorts around school. At least Tenten and I are roughly the same size, not that it makes a difference since I look three times fatter in these shorts anyway. 

"What the _hell_ happened to you?" Tenten said as she was sitting down at lunch. Even though I was sitting, she noticed my mix-matched outfit. I knew I looked ridiculous, but it's better than walking around with a wet crotch. At least Tenten's mother had the decency to sew a little panda on the right leg to preserve a bit of femininity. 

"Let's not talk about it."

"Those are my shorts, you know. What? Did your pants burn off with too much friction? I didn't see you in first period today."

"Trust me, you'd never be able to guess in your life. Just know that I saw that nasty decay of a flower after_ somebody_ deserted me this morning," I grumbled in response despite recognising Tenten's sarcasm. Tenten blinked confusedly at me and looked as if she was going through a list of names to match my description. I kept forgetting she wasn't with me that day. I tried to divert the topic and asked, "Where's the lazy bastard?" 

"Hell if I know. He's probably lurking around the staff lounge and kicking Asuma-sensei's ass in Go or Shoji or something of the sort." 

The two of us proceeded to talk about nothing important like we usually do at lunchtime. Suddenly, as I was talking excitedly about a new pair of shoes I bought the other day, Tenten stopped chewing and dropped her fork. She didn't move at all. Her face was contorted in a strange way, like she was trying to suppress laughter and trying to appear afraid at the same time. When I noticed her staring past my head, I turned around to see what she was looking at. And as I did, a sheet of paper was shoved in my face. I had to crane my head back to get a better focus and I realised it was one of the posters from this morning. I froze. More specifically, it was a picture of a certain dirty-blonde making a "friendly" hand gesture. I swallowed thickly and looked up. A band of about nine or ten students, both male and female, surrounded us. All of them wore an unfriendly expression that suggested I had done something horribly, horribly wrong. The girl holding the poster, the leader I assumed, clutched the paper in her hand so hard, her knuckles turned white. Her glare seemed the most venomous of them all. She was a big girl, probably a senior. However, I've don't ever recall seeing her. She wore her hair in Temari's style and even dyed it the same colour. This weirdo even went so far as to dress herself in tight leather to match. Needless to say, I was completely mortified. She seemed like a shorter and rounder version of the original. I didn't know whether to laugh at her, or cry at my own misery. 

"Uh, can we help you?" Tenten said from behind me. 

"If I were you I'd stay out of this," The Temari look-alike said gruffly. "It's Yamanaka I want answers from. As President of the Temari fan club, I will not stand by and watch my love be humiliated in such a way. Isn't that right?" On cue, the students around us gave an affirmative grunt in perfect unison. Love? God, what a joke. At this time, everyone in the cafeteria had stopped talking to observe the drama. And the sad thing about our school is that, besides the cafeteria ladies, there is no adult supervision. So unless things get really out of hand, nothing usually happens. I think it's partly because Tenten and I eat here.

"Explain yourself!" She said, waving the piece of paper in my face.

"I wouldn't touch that girl even if you paid me," I said as-a-matter-of-factly. Tenten choked on her salad. Suddenly, the girl behind me roughly seized me by the collar, the way Haruno does so often. I could tell she was ready to sock me right then and there. But out of the corner of my eye, I could see some of the male population stand abruptly in defense and I couldn't help but smile despite my situation. Life is great when the majority of the school knows you and loves you. Now the girl started looking anxious even as she held me an inch above the ground. 

"I'm amazed you try so hard to imitate every detail Temari and Haruno possess," I said with a smirk. 

"Don't be a dumbass," she growled, trying to avert my eyes. 

"I don't think you of all people should be calling me a dumbass. Have you no shame? Seriously, what part of you is even yours?" One look at her and I knew I had said the wrong thing. The students surrounding us stared at me in disbelief. I think they were ready to sock me too. She scowled and raised a fist. I flinched instinctively.

"Hey, hey, hold up there! Why don't we think things through rationally?" The brunette said with a small smile as she stood up on her seat. "If you ask me, the entire BS about the posters is beyond stupid." The other girl narrowed her eyes, but complied silently. Tenten shoved a hand in her pocket before continuing as a 

"For one, Ino here must be the straightest girl I know, am I right? And don't think I'm biased just because I'm her friend. I'm sure half of you male students have fallen victim to her at least once before." The low rumble of murmurs could be heard throughout the cafeteria. Some of the boys in the fan club blushed, while the other guys, probably the jocks, started a series of cat calls. I gaped at Tenten. I swear if she stood up there talking about the life cycle of grass, the whole school would give them her undivided attention—just because she's Tenten. 

"And I'd like to make another point. Whoever made these must be some crazy type of stalker to have been able to make _all_ of these. Also, I don't know if anyone noticed, but Sasuke was in one of the posters." Someone choked at the other end of the room. Tenten raised an eyebrow and continued, "Is it not a given fact that Sasuke has been going steady with Naruto ever since they entered the school? I don't think even Ino is stupid enough to try to tear them apart. I don't think she'd daylight ever again if she did. Plus, Sasuke would probably kick her ass all the way around to Fiji if she tried anything. And one last thing…" Tenten leaned down and snatched the poster out of the Temari-wannabe's hands. She didn't say anything and merely gawked at Tenten. "Does anyone see this picture here? Well, let me ask you, where the hell would anyone be able to get a picture like this? How does anyone find _this_ legitimate? Therefore, as the Vice President of the Student Council, I find it appropriate to confiscate this poster here to avoid anymore feuds, confusion, aggravation, and any of the sorts." With that said she folded the piece of paper and tucked it into the breast pocket of her polo and stepped down to finish her lunch. Everyone turned back to their own lunches and everything resumed back to normal, except for the people surrounding us who remained quiet after the short speech. I cautiously freed myself and gave Tenten a grateful grin before sitting back down. 

"I…," The leader of the club started. Suddenly, she shot forward and grabbed Tenten by the front of her shirt, dragging her across the table in the process. I gave a surprised yelp and jumped out of my chair. "I was going to frame that! Give it back, bitch!" 

"Put me down," she said coolly, raising a brow. The other girl glared at her before reaching out for Tenten's right pocket. Without warning, someone grabbed her forearm just as she touched the fabric of Tenten's pocket. I looked up to see the last person I had expected to be involved in this. The silver chain front her half-cropped leather jacket struck me across the face as her arm shot forward. She took a minute to throw down her cigarette and made a show of stamping it out before turning to look at the frightened girl. 

"Just 'cause you're dressed like me, girl, it doesn't give you permission to touch what's mine," said a venomous voice above me. Suddenly the room went dead quiet. Even the lights seem to have stopped buzzing. I thought my jaw would drop to the floor, along with everyone else's in the room. The lookalike turned her head almost mechanically to look at Temari. Temari narrowed her eyes and leaned down to meet her at eye-level. 

"Drop her before I kick your sorry face in," Temari said coldly. The chubby girl swallowed thickly but complied before scuttling away with the rest of the group. This time, the rest of the cafeteria did not go back to their lunches. People at the back were standing up to see what was going to happen. I looked around for her comrade and found her leaning against the vending machine on the other side of the room. Even from so far away I saw her smirking at me. I glared back and hoped it reached far enough to kill her. Instead, she just waved and pointed back to the scene, her smirk never leaving her face. 

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Tenten whispered harshly. I whipped my head around to see Temari wrapping her arms around Tenten in an over-friendly hug. Tenten stiffened visibly and looked at me for help. I returned her look, but didn't interfere. 

Temari smirked. "Baby, it's been a year. There's nothing to hide anymore," she responded loudly. Tenten glared at her. "I'm sorry if this makes you unhappy. I promise I'll make it up to you…tonight, mmkay?" Temari leaned down and gave poor Tenten a peck on the lips before walking out of the cafeteria. Tenten sank into her seat, trying to avoid the disbelieving stares of the other students. I heard a loud thump at the end of the room where the groupies had retreated, along with the gasps and calls of the other students. 

But just before they left, I watched as Temari gave Haruno a discreet high-five.

* * *

"This can't go on," Tenten said, her eyes burning with the fury of Hell itself. I didn't say anything and hid behind the magazine I was holding. We were at my house after the disturbing incident at school. I had never seen Tenten so angry in my life, and I've known her for the most part of it. The whole juice thing Haruno pulled would normally make me get her back right then and there. But, I mean. It's Haruno. Even I hadn't contemplated on getting them back. Those two were not to be messed with. And here she was, thinking of absurd ideas that could result in broken bones, a lifetime in jail, or a detour to our graves. 

"Tenten, whatever you're thinking now, just drop it." 

"Ino! I can't believe you said that! You of all people should know what I'm going through!" It amazed me how a simple gesture like that would kick the most level-headed person I knew off her edge. But then again, if I was in her place, I'd probably go through the roof. I'm actually surprised she's doing nothing more than ranting. 

"So, she declared to the whole school you're lovers! That really isn't as bad as what Haruno did to me."

"I _fixed_ that remember?" I flushed in embarrassment. 

"W-well, still! We're in our senior year, Tenten! We've got better things to worry about than those two. Imagine if we got suspended last minute! God, our records! No university or college would want us." 

She raised an eyebrow at me. "You don't even know how stupid that sounds coming from you. You're exaggerating it a bit, aren't you? And I refuse to believe you don't want to get them back as much as I do." Oh, geez. Okay, so they marred both of our social appearances, and physical too on my part. It's not that bad. Everyone thinks I'm a whore, Tenten's going out with Temari now, Hinata won't speak to us, and I just went through the day in basketball shorts. All in the period of—counting only the days I saw Haruno, of course—three days? I mean, they've only managed to destroy the perfect imaged we spent years building up, right? Even if Tenten did sort of fix it, there's got to be some doubt left over. I thought about it for a second before a brilliant idea popped into my head. It was an idea that wouldn't have much of an impact on our academic life, but could really get them back. Oh, the things you learn from chick flicks! I smiled slyly at Tenten, earning another raised brow. 

"This is a perfect opportunity! Why don't you just, well, play along?"

Tenten gaped at me. "Are you high?" 

I sighed. "Shut up. I mean, why not put on a show and just deal the full damage when you're done? The announcement she made today basically means unquestioned harassment on her part. I doubt that'd be very pretty. And I'd bet she'd crap herself with in shock."

"You have a point. But don't tell me you got that idea from gushy chick movies. You _know_ those never end well." 

"That's only because they always end up falling for the guy in the end!" I paused and grinned at my wary friend. "Do you think you can actually fall in love with a bitch like her?" 

She looked at me blankly and shrugged. "She's not bad-looking, you know." I stared at her in disbelief, even though I secretly admitted that fact as well. I sighed. "I guess that could be our last resort then." Her brows furrowed in thought. I imagined she was analysing every detail and consequence of my idea. It was typical of her but, c'mon, _one_ of us had to. Honestly, I had no idea where I was going with this so-called plan, but it didn't hurt to try. After all the hell they put us through, we ought to have something out of it. Strangely, I have faith that this may work out. It seems Temari has some level of interest towards Tenten. So I believe a decent amount of damage could be inflicted depending on Tenten. Now, I don't know what happened the other day in the countryside, but it couldn't have been that great considering it's her. 

"Y'know what, Ino? I think I'll do it. It's not like we have anything to lose. Playing along with that prick sounds fun. But don't expect me to take any initiative. And don't worry, this isn't a chick flick."

"Good luck. We just might need it," I said with a grin.

* * *

Author's Note: Yay! Well, the next part's going to be fun to write...Oh, I just want to say a big thank you for all of you who reviewed! Especially those who make me feel less stupid by replying to my replies. And I just want to give credit to XxZeroKiryuuxX who caught me off guard and totally made my day. And because of that, I managed to finish this faster than I had originally intended. I know I'm weird and quite easily pleased :) 


	6. Temari: Shades of Evil

"There are several kinds of evil in the world. Unfortunately "several" is an understatement so I'm not going to waste my time listing them all. There are basically two categories in my mind: evil you inflict upon someone and evil someone inflicts upon you. Because normally, no one would bring evil upon themselves, those are the only two that really matters," I said a-matter-of-factly. I grabbed a cooler from the mini fridge and sat down next to Sakura. She didn't look at me as she threw a dart across the room, her mouth forming a thin line as it missed and landed on a one-pointer. Normally I would laugh at her, but I was too caught up in my own problem.

"What are you going on about?" She asked boredly.

"I'm trying to understand the situation I'm in!" I said, irritably. "As for the different types of evil, it seems this is a special case."

"Enlighten me," she said unenthusiastically. She threw another dart and didn't say anything when it landed on the twenty, missing the inner ring by a centimetre.

"See, it feels like this is the type evil where it combines the two main types. It's like I brought it upon myself in order to inflict some measure of damage upon another. But I fucking missed and now I'm suffering alone for it."

"It serves you right. That's what you get for playing around with her like that."

"Oh c'mon, Sakura! I didn't think she'd take it like that! And can I help it that she's so _hot_?"

Sakura snorted. "If I were you, I'd worry about making it up before you fuck up again." I took a sip from the bottle in my hands and leaned back on the plush sofa. Sakura got up to retrieve her darts before sitting back down. It was another Sunday and we were spending it idly, just the way we usually like it. My brothers were out and Sakura had snuck over to take a break from her studies. In my opinion, she really does work too hard. If it wasn't for that blonde hoe we would be able to have a little more fun together. It's nice to just relax without anything disturbing you and just be away from your troubles. But of course, you're never truly free. And school is just one of those things that really get to you.

"What am I supposed to do now? Wait for summer school?"

"Just what did you _do_ exactly?"

"I asked her out using the bubbles on my multiple choice test. Pretty clever, isn't it?"

"That's just about as clever as putting your hand in an alligator's mouth."

"Oh c'mon, Saku, can't you think of a better analogy than that? You're an English Honours student for fuck's sakes!"

"Can we just get back on topic here?"

I looked at her and sulked. "But I've done it before…," I muttered.

"That was with Anko-sensei, remember? You know the school nurse who's, in fact, _not_ married? And you weren't writing it on your _test_."

I thought back to that day and grinned. "Oh my god, that was so hot. I heard Kurenai-sensei had an affair with her."

"I thought they were just good friends."

"Ah, well looks can be deceiving. I've seen her with Shizune-sensei before she started screwing that old bag. Now back to my issue here…"

"You're pretty damn lucky she let you make the test up. She was surprisingly nice enough to understand, even if it's Temari we're talking about here. Just… behave from now on. No more of whatever stunt that was you pulled today. For god's sakes, she's a married woman!"

"But she's a woman nonetheless!"

"Asuma-sensei would butcher you," she said with a chuckle. "And I really don't want to see my best friend handed to me on sushi rice."

"She only gave me a zero on that because she was jealous!" I said confidently with a grin. Sakura smirked and slapped me on the side of my head before swinging her legs onto the loveseat and resting her head on my lap. I rested my arm across the length of the backrest. "Jealous of what? Your new 'girlfriend'?"

I blinked confusedly, trying to remember what she meant by that. "Temari, you idiot! Do you remember Tenten?" I furrowed my brows in thought and when it finally registered, I nearly choked on my own saliva. "Oh my god, I almost forgot about her."

"I noticed," she said with a smug grin. "Though I don't understand how you could've forgotten."

"I was too worried about the thing with Kurenai-sensei, I guess." Sakura laughed at me. I could feel my ears going red from embarrassment.

I can't say I'm too sure how this thing with Tenten started. To her it was most likely the day Sakura decided to be an ass and got herself in trouble for it. That was the day she figured out my attraction for the brunette. For me, it was probably last year during Gaara's seventeenth birthday. At that time, she was dating the male Hyuuga. I had heard they've been steady for a while, but how would I know. They were watching a movie when I walked into the room that night. She was perched on Neji's lap, trying to focus on the screen. They didn't pay any attention to me as I took the only available seat next to them and tried not to pay attention to them. I could hear Neji's mumbles and her protesting whispers. He was touching and grabbing her everywhere and she was wiggling around trying to get out of it. I made a brief eye contact with her once. She looked at me with those wary hazel eyes and, as much as I had tried, I couldn't look away. But she squeaked and broke the contact when Neji touched an especially sensitive spot. She suddenly gave a small suppressed moan and that was when they left. She had an exasperated look on her face when Neji dragged her upstairs by the hand. I could just imagine how hard the bastard was. And after they left, I couldn't help but think _I could do so much better_. I suddenly wanted to be the one touching her upstairs. If it was me, I thought, she would never look at me like she wanted to get rid of me ASAP. But I knew I had no chance. I would usually never mess with straight girls, especially those who already have a dick to suck on. But this was different. I have never been so awkwardly turned on before. I have never _ever_ wanted someone that badly before.

Ever since then, I started noticing her around the school. I started paying attention during the assemblies when she and Ino had to make an appearance. I started to wonder how I had managed to miss her when I transferred here. Some time later, she broke up with Neji and I was literally jumping for joy. That would give me the perfect opportunity to dive into her pants! But nope, it just didn't happen. Something so fucking simple, something I never had any trouble with before—I just couldn't get it. I tried to approach her once but a boy beat me to it. Boy was I glad I held back. The guy came staggering back with a black eye, looking like he was about to piss in his pants. After that, I wanted her even more. I wanted to pin her down, eat her inside out, and show her who was in charge. I wanted to make her fall to her knees and obey my every command as long as I granted her release. When that happens, I'd be able to prove I can get _anyone_ if I tried. Hell yeah! I was going to wait until Gaara's party to get her all drunk and bothered. I would've raped her if I had to, handcuff her even. But, thanks to Sakura, things have taken a different turn.

I now have the power to do what I want with her without being questioned. And damn does it feel good just thinkin' about it! Usually, Sakura doesn't like me using girls the way I do. But this time, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Yah, we're gonna have so much fun. I can't wait to get back to school now, despite having Kurenai-sensei after me. And she seems like one who takes relationships seriously. If she does then it would be the darkest shade of evil I can inflict on her when I dump her after I'm done. And the best part is that the whole school would know. The majority would probably hate me but I really don't care.

"Just don't damage the goods too much—I don't want to put my grades on the line. Again. 'Cause you know if you do, that pig will see to it."

"Yamanaka is your problem. I don't want to have to deal with her. I'll do what I want." She raised a curved brow and frowned.

"Why do I get the defect goods?"

"Pretty nice if you ask me. She's one of those petite-types with soft, feminine features and an hourglass body. Her attitude needs a bit of tuning but that's not hard to fix. She'd treat you like a fucking king if you drive her hard enough," I said with a waggle of my eyebrows.

"Then you can deal with her," Sakura grumbled with a scowl. I could be imagining things but I couldn't help but notice a tinge of pink on her complexion.

"Honestly," I sighed, "I thought she would be your type."

"If I wanted a prostitute, I'd pay for one. I just can't stand whores." I just shrugged, looking down at her with a blank expression. I didn't really understand what was going on between Ino and Sakura, to be honest. I figured since the suspension, Sakura would just hate her guts. But I don't know why she's being so childish about it. It's not like her to take things so far. But I wouldn't know. They might have some sort of hidden past, secrets perhaps? Sakura just isn't one to blab about everything. Sometimes I love her for that, other times not so much.

"I think those posters you made were just a _teensy_ bit exaggerated, don't you think?"

"Yeah, so? Why are you even sticking up for her, Temari?" She said loudly, casting me an irritated look.

"I'm not!" I replied, holding my hands up in defense, "I just wish you would have some fun, y'know? You've always been so tense."

"I've got bigger things to worry about than getting laid. I'm not like you, Temari. I need to get into university, get a job, and be able to put food on the table everyday. I can't depend on my family forever, you know."

I gaped at her, unsure of what to say. I felt offended, even though I knew she was right. But still, it didn't mean she had to cast aside everything else. "Nobody can go on like that forever. Not even you, Sakura." I watched her reach for a cigarette from the box on the carpet. She fiddled with it before putting it in her mouth. She only ever smokes when she feels uneasy or nervous about something. I suppose it makes her feel cool and above it all—it makes others give the impression that she just doesn't give a shit. It was one of the few things I'd managed to learn about her. She dug up the lighter from a pile of clothes and lit the cigarette. Her emerald eyes were dull as she stared into space, unconsciously blowing smoke rings at the same time. At that moment, I realised she looked a lot older than she was. It was like somewhere along her childhood, she jumped a couple steps and grew up overnight. To her the word "fun" was probably nothing but a bother. I sighed as I studied her worn out features. The only things that marred her pretty face were the lines drawn by her own intentions. It's like she locked herself inside a cage just to accomplish her ambitions. As her friend, I really do worry about her sometimes.

X

When Monday came, I was dreading the make-up test with Kurenai-sensei so much, I had completely forgotten about Tenten. Again. I only have two classes this semester1 and they're bother after lunch, so I usually go to school by myself anyway. I really should get a car soon. I walk towards the cafeteria and bought my lunch before the bell rung for lunchtime. I sit down at the usual table, the table furthest from everyone else, and waited for Sakura as I ate. Ugh, stale pizza. Great. Sakura was late, but I just shrugged it off. Knowing her, she probably went off to consult someone about something or another. There were times I had to go look for her myself and force food down her throat so she doesn't starve herself to death. I had planned to do just that after I finished my own lunch.

Suddenly, someone slammed their hands on the table, disrupting my thoughts and tranquility. I stopped in mid-chew and narrowed my eyes, slowly lifting my head to look at them. I was slightly startled to see a familiar face staring back at me. It was like a mirror…until I realised I wasn't as chubby. Despite having just disturbed my lunch so rudely, she immediately withdrew her arm and smiled at me sheepishly. Then it suddenly hit me that she was the girl from the other day, the one who grabbed Tenten. I flinched visibly as I noticed she was wearing the same zippered hoodie I had worn last week. I'm so glad I had decided to wear the stripped sleeveless and today, it would've certainly have been embarrassing. This was seriously creepy. She even had the ever-present silver chains around my neck. Goddammit, those were _my_ trademark. Gaara gave them to me…

"Oh, it's you." I said gruffly, now angry with the girl.

"M-My name is Leiko2." She said shyly, losing all the bravado I had seen in her the other day.

"Uh huh. What do you want?"

"I-is it true t-that you're going out with the Vice President of the Student Council?"

"What's it to you?"

She looked alarm when she replied, "W-well, n-nothing! I-I just want to say that she…doesn'tdeservesomeonelikeyou!"

I raised an eyebrow. "And you're saying that _you_ do?"

Hurt briefly flashed across her expression but she regained her composure quickly. "What I'm s-saying is that you'll just get hurt, T-Temari-san. Everybody knows what happened to Neji. She put everything before him. He was never in her priorities. That girl doesn't know _how_ to love at all! I-I know what you said about your relationship being a year old was a lie. A lot of people figured it out. S-she was still going out with Neji at the time…"

I looked at her venomously. But I kept my cool. I hated her for seeing through the façade so easily. But I hated myself more for creating such a transparent lie. But then it dawned on me. I smirked. "The only reason she was so cold was because she two-timed him," I said with a grin that was more sadistic than I had intended, "You're right, she's incapable of loving. But Neji couldn't give her what she needed. She thought he could because he was so popular among girls, but she was wrong. But I—,"

"TEMARI YOU SON OF A _BITCH_!" A voice interrupted from behind me. My clone jumped back in surprise as a raging brunette stomped over. Suddenly I felt like I had been slapped in the face. Oh wait I _did_ get slapped in the face. The sound of her palm across my cheek seemed to reverberate throughout the whole cafeteria. Everyone stopped talking and stared at us. Tenten looked at me with furious hazel eyes. She rolled up her sleeves and glared at me with a slight pout. Unable to control myself, I leaned forward and gave her a small peck on the lips. She struck me again but her cheeks flushed. Even as I held my cheek, I couldn't help but notice how cute she was.

"It's good to see you too, babe," I said smugly.

"Don't 'babe' me, you jerk! Are you really seriously dumb enough to think I couldn't hear your conversation?" She paused to direct a hazardous glare towards the Doppelganger. The girl shifted uncomfortable and waddled back to her friends a good metre away. "How can be someone be so arrogant as to tell the whole school such a _huge_ pack of lies? I only agreed to go out with you a week ago because I felt sorry for you. Now you turn around and say I _cheated_on Neji with _you_? Who the _hell_ do you think you are?!" I sat frozen in my chair, not knowing what to say. Her acting was convincing, I knew I couldn't win this fight. Unless…

I gaped at her. "What are you saying now, Tenten? After all that, I was nothing more than a _toy_? You didn't even _tell_ me you had a fucking _boyfriend_." I looked away and whispered, "You told me it was a one-night-stand." Her jaw dropped, she looked at me absolutely mortified. I resisted the urge to smirk as I continued, "You were the one who kept coming back. Even though you had a boyfriend you kept coming back. You were the one who said I was the only one who could satisfy you! You knew I loved you! So _you_ were the one who decided to run to me after Neji dumped you! It only took you so long because you couldn't find anyone to replace me!"

"Stop flattering yourself," She growled, "You egotistical prick! That's a fine load of shit you made up there! I didn't even know you back then! Find someone to replace you? Ha! Even Leiko over there would be ten times better than you!"

"That's only because she looks like me," I replied casually.

"Keep dreaming," she scoffed. "Fine then, since you said it like that, we'll end this right now." I felt like I just got shot as my hard-earned opportunity slipped between my fingertips. I growled. I wasn't going to let her go so easily. Her reply was as flimsy as wet tissue. I just _have_ to get my advantage back! As she turned around and took a step forward, I shot up from my seat and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards me forcefully. She collided into my chest as I held her in a tight embrace. I could feel over a hundred pairs of eyes stare at us intensely. I was surprised when I felt her relax in my arms for a second. I resisted the temptation to grab her anywhere else and keep this as chaste as possible. But I couldn't hold back and received another resounding smack across the face.

"I TOLD YOU WE'RE DONE! I never want to see your face _ever_ again!" She screamed with more emotion than an actress usually bothers to put in. I stared blankly at her retreating back as she exited the cafeteria. Everyone returned to their lunches but I could feel their sympathetic glances. I thought I had won. No, I knew I had won because no one can beat me in a game of words. I won, alright, but she fled. My chance was gone and all I could do was watch her leave. This was infuriating. It felt like someone shot a point-blank through my heart. Or was that feeling always there? It just seems a lot bigger now. But it doesn't matter now. I'll get her sooner or later.

X

Now I was pissed. I had done well on my make-up test and because of that my problems with Tenten came flooding back to me. I told Sakura I would go home myself today. She had looked at me strangely but didn't question it. She was in a rush to take Hinata to see her sister again, anyway. I waited by the front doors for the brunette and planned to confront her about the incident earlier. She showed up ten minutes later, staring distractedly at a piece of paper in her hand. I opened my mouth to call her but she slipped past the door and out of view before I could utter a syllable. I cursed under my breath and quickly stomped out the door after her. As I stepped outside, I caught a glimpse of her red backpack as she rounded a corner. I raised a brow and quickly followed her. I soon realised it was a narrow dead-end between two school buildings. I seldom notice these things, but in this case, it was kind of hard not to. A dorky looking boy with dyed pink hair, much like Sakura's, stumbled outside and stood awkwardly by the entrance of the alleyway. I dove into a bush to avoid being seen. Now they couldn't see me, but I couldn't see them either. However, I knew they were there because I could hear them.

"Fucking idiot, you actually fell for it didn't you?" a brusque voice said scornfully. "I don't understand why Temari-sama would choose a runt like you over me. Only a real idiot would fall for a 'love note' like that. That's because you're the kind who thinks _everyone_ loves you right?"

"Don't you _dare_ touch me," a stern voice responded.

"Yeah? And what if I do? What are you gonna do, huh? _Suspend_ me? Who's going to believe you after all the drama at lunch today? Everyone thinks you're nothing but a two-timing dog now. Aren't you happy? You're just like your friend now." A loud smack sounded through the opening. I was just going to run in there when the smaller voice spoke again.

"Heh, only real dumbasses like you would believe a lying prick like Temari." I flinched as I heard another loud smack. Following it was the sound of dirt being kicked off the ground, as if someone slipped and fell.

"Don't call her names! You don't deserve her at all!"

The voice, probably Tenten's, chuckled. "Well I'll be damned. So you think you do now right? You think you're better than me in terms of intelligence, appearance, and athleticism, now don't you?" Her voice was so cold it sent shivers down my spine. "Or are you going to be conceited enough to tell me those things don't matter and it's the inside that counts? Personality, perhaps? Don't bite your lip so hard, you might pass out due to loss of blood." She sounded dangerously sarcastic and earned another thump. I cringed as I tried to imagine the scene. A series of blows sounded through the air and I thought for sure Tenten had been shut up for good. But no, the girl had enough courage or stupidity to continue.

"It doesn't matter anyway, right? You look like her, talk, walk, and act like her. Even if she was enough of a narcissist, she wouldn't go for someone like you anyway. I tried to be nice to you last time because I pitied you." The sound of the dirt and rocks shifting started again, I assumed she was trying to stand up. If she was, then she was quickly down again as the series of thumping started again and a cloud of yellow dust floated out of the alleyway. Tenten laughed humourlessly, almost sadistically, and said, "You can beat me up as much as you like, but you know I'm right. You idiot, Temari's hotter than you'll ever be. Although, that's not saying too much." My heart flapped away happily upon hearing those words. I knew she wanted me! I knew it! Those pants are _mine_!

"Are you done? You think you're all high and mighty don't you? Just 'cause you're in the Student Council, you think you're better than me? You fucking kid!" Shuffling.

"Don't you fucking DARE touch me there!"

"Who's gonna stop me? Oh man, these are tiny. I can't believe _you_ won Temari's favour with _these_. "

"LET GO OF ME YOU FUCKING POSER!" Okay what? That's it! Beating her up I can take, but _no one_ touches her other than me! I haven't even gotten my chance yet, bitches!

In the flurry of my anger, I leapt out of my hiding spot, earning a bewildered look from the "guard". I only gave him enough time to gape at me before I kneed him in the groin. I picked him up and slung him over my shoulder as I waited for the dust to settle. Once it did, I came face to face with three members of my "fan club" and Leiko. The fat bitch pinned a battered Tenten to the wall, her free hand on her breast and her face inches away from hers even as she looked over at me. I threw the boy down and the three other members shrieked in panic and retreated past me as fast as their legs could carry them. Now it was only me, Tenten, and the Doppelganger I have yet to take out. Tenten stared at me through a swollen eye, her body bloody and bruised.

"Didn't I tell you this before, Leiko-_chan_? Just 'cause you look like me doesn't mean you can touch what's _mine_." She dropped Tenten in shock, causing a look of sheer pain to cross the brunette's face as she landed on her arm. I narrowed my eyes at her. She started backwards towards the dead-end but tripped and landed on the other girl's leg. Tenten let out an agonized cry and looked at me pleadingly. My eyes widened. I wanted that pleading look but not like this! My expression darkened.

"Now you're dead," I muttered. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I lifted the girl up and slammed her head against the wall in a panic to get her off of Tenten. She cried out but I ignored it. I jumped on her, striking her across the cheek as I did so. I continued for what seemed like hours, kicking, punching, anything to bruise every inch of her body. I didn't care if I was going to hell for this-- I wanted her to die right now. I dug my boot into her side and was about to land another blow when I felt a hand grab my other shoe. "T-Temari, stop! You're going to kill her." I turned around to look at Tenten. She stared at me with moist eyes and quivering lips. I felt my heart clench as tight as my fist. I kneeled down and pulled her into a sitting position, receiving a few pained winces. I stared at her with more concern than I'd ever felt for anyone. Unable to help myself, I pulled her into a tight hug.

"Look, I'm sorry about this whole thing," I muttered sheepishly, not letting go of her.

"It's fine," she murmured. I let go reluctantly. I really didn't want to take advantage of her, but in this sentimental moment, I wanted nothing more than kiss the life out of her. And that was exactly what I did. I hadn't realised I had acted against my own will until we were both panting slightly. Her lips were so soft and so sweet. I could feel the lust-beast creeping up again. But this time, I had to hold back. It would be taking advantage of her, rape so to say. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

"C-can you stand?" I said nervously, in spite of myself. She struggled for a bit and rose a couple centimetres above ground before collapsing onto the ground with an excruciatingly painful cry. "I'll take you back to my place and get you fixed up so I can at least present you to your parents, alright?" I sighed and reached into my pocket to retrieve my cell phone. I quickly called Kankurou and told him to pick me up. The brunette looked up at me gratefully, and I felt my heart flapping in all directions again. The lust-beast was getting hungrier with each second I'm near her.

Kankurou got here in five minutes, sounding panicked as he called me to alert me of his arrival. I reassured him with a laugh. Gingerly, I picked up the beat-up girl and carried her bridal-style towards my brother's new Jeep. He likes blue Jeeps, don't ask.

As I carried Tenten towards the car, she clung to my shirt and whispered a quiet, "Thank you."

"I was the one who caused it, sorry," I replied with an uneasy grin.

She averted her eyes, finding the grass field much more interesting to look at. I nearly dropped her when she said, "I was scared."

Xxxxx

Notes:

My own school doesn't use the semester system but because it's more popular, I'll use it here. I don't know if it's the same for _every _school but in grade 12, you only need to take four courses minimum. But since they've got their own universe here, even if I'm wrong, let's just pretend I'm right. It works out.

Arrogant in Japanese.


	7. Tenten: Enemy Territory

A/N: Well, I'll be damned, I actually finished this. But okay, I basically spent most my time thinking about how to make this story my interesting. This is a slightly longer chapter(Yay!). But it's basically my "wild card" chapter.

* * *

Chapter 7: Tenten - Enemy Territory

My mind was blank. I think I'm awake, but I'm not sure. I couldn't feel my body at all. I felt detached, like a ghost hovering above it, yet I could see nothing but darkness. I was surprised how much effort it took just to think. I repeated the multiplication tables in my head to get my brain functioning. I was stuck at nine times three, but after much contemplation I came to the conclusion it was twenty-seven. I tried to remember who and where I was. Okay, my name is Tenten, seventeen years old, straight A student, and Vice President of the Student Council. Alright, that was easy. Now I just had to remember where I was. My head hurt from all the blank answers in my mind. I tried to regain control of my physical body. The more I tried, the more I felt of it. I could slowly feel strength return to my fingertips. Twitch. That's no good. I mentally sighed. Why was it so quiet? I could hear my own sigh echoing inside my head. I shifted my head slightly. Whatever it was beneath my head was soft, so I couldn't be too far from home. I slowly, but surely, began to open my eyes, after much effort. My vision was blurry, like I was staring through a goldfish bowl. I blinked in an attempt to focus on the blank in front of my eyes. I had to blink a few more times to register the smooth, white ceiling. Well, that looks familiar. Then again, every other ceiling looks just about the same. I was pretty sure I was in my own room. I moved my head to the side. The walls were a gentle lavender colour. That's weird. My walls were blue. Maybe I'm in Ino's room? I tried to remember the colour of her wall, but I was pretty sure it wasn't lavender, as much as she loves the colour purple. I tried to take in as much as I could in my limited vision. Besides the wall, the only other thing I noticed was the corner of a poster and some sort of laundry hovering in the corner of my eye. It was hanging off of something I couldn't see.

Suddenly I heard footsteps running up the stairs. Out of impulse, I squeezed my eyes shut and waited.

"Temari!" I heard a voice call excitedly. My eyes grew wide, it seemed familiar yet not at the same time. I focused on the poster one more time and noticed it was a picture of an attractive, half-naked model striking a suggestive pose. I shifted my head to look at the other side of the room, noticing many of the same type of posters.

"Temari?" The voice called again. It repeated her name once more, louder this time, directing the sound right at me. I tried to feign sleep as I heard the footsteps make their way slowly towards me. They stopped and the floor squeaked at the foot of the bed. My heart hammered inside my chest. I didn't want them to notice me.

"Temari, what are you--Oh shi--!" Her sentence was cut off, followed by a series of muffled cries.

"What the fuck, Sakura! She's sleeping!" A huskier voice murmured harshly. I listened to their footsteps as the two quickly exited the room. Down the stairs they went and once again, everything was dead quiet. I slowly open my eyes again. Sakura? Who could that be? Well, it was no doubt a girl. Wow, she actually has a girlfriend? Heh, I'm surprised. I was suddenly compelled to go check on them. Damn Ino and her contagious curiosity. I sat up cautiously, even then I felt a bit lightheaded. I groaned and clutched my head as I slowly slid off the bed. I grabbed my glasses and tried to stand up but when I did, a sharp pain shot through my leg. I collapsed onto the ground with a thump, a string of curses going through my head, yet not a single one escaped through my lips. I heard a muffled clash of metal in a room close by, followed by hurried footsteps in my direction.

"O-oh my, oh my! Oh dear…," I heard a woman's voice say. I couldn't see the owner of the voice as I was still crumpled on the ground, but I was sure I've never heard it before. "Tenten-kun, you mustn't do something so radical! You've injured your leg badly and the rest of your body still needs time to recover." The woman picked me up gently, pulling me into a sitting position. She handed me my glasses and I quickly put them on. When my vision came to focus, I was a bit surprised to see it was a small old woman who came to my aid.

Suddenly, a thought struck me, causing me to look down at my clothes alarmingly. I stiffened visibly, realising the clothes I wore were not the least bit familiar. I was wearing a pale blue-striped dress shirt that was nearly twice my size. It felt like I wasn't wearing any pants, but when I checked, I sighed in relief to see a pair of shorts. But what good would they do if they weren't even visible under the shirt. My cheeks flushed pink at my apparel. But…who helped me change? My eyes widened and my hand immediately flew to my chest. The Oba-san looked at me amusedly, her lips curling into a warm, reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Tenten-kun," she said softly, her expression changing from warm to sly. I stared at her fearfully as she spoke like she had read my mind. "I washed your clothes already and even helped you clean the dirty backpack you had with you. Those clothes are Temari's. She's quite a bit taller than you so you'll have to bear with it. The boys' clothes would no doubt be even bigger. And I know what you must be thinking. Don't look so scared, I would never let Temari be the one to change your clothes, god knows what she would've done." She sighed, but the smile never left her face. "Temari might be responsible when she needs to, but her self-control is more than limited. I was surprised when she came home with you, looking all panicked." She laughed. "At first, I thought she killed you and needed to hide the body somewhere. She's always been so reckless, so it wasn't surprising. But I'm sure she knew it as well, so she asked me to change your clothes and tend your wounds." Then she smiled a bright, sunny smile and said, "Of course, it wasn't that easy! I sentenced her to two weeks of chores, something she usually hates doing. I was surprised when she willingly agreed without hesitation, even though I was going to help her anyway. Oh, and with the deadlines so close! I'm horrible!" Even though she said that, she was still smiling brilliantly, as if someone had praised her. I felt myself twitch and edged away from the woman. I wasn't sure if she made that up or not.

"Just stay put for now. I don't have the strength I used to. I'll go call Temari for you," she said with a sly, toothy grin and a wink. I looked at her confusedly but nodded. Once she left, I started drawing idle circles in the plush carpet, trying my best not to focus on the pain in my leg. I felt like I was beaten up badly. My whole body was tense and uncomfortable. Memories of the other day started slowly coming back to me, causing me to flinch. I tried to remember more of the day, but a sudden stampede of footsteps sounded up the stairs, cutting off my train of thought.

"Jeez, you idiot, what the hell did you do that for? I thought Honours students would have more sense than that," A deep, female voice muttered from the doorway. I looked up at her with a glare, but softened at the sight of the Oba-san from earlier. She smiled at me before turning around and whispering something to someone. Before I could see who she was talking to, footsteps were heard once again going down the stairs. Temari looked behind her then started making her way towards me. I shrank back, trying my hardest to pin my glare on her. She kneeled down beside me and spread her arms out.

"Don't touch me," I whispered harshly. The distance between us unnerved me to no end. God, why her? Just go away!

"Then how am I supposed to get you back onto the bed?" She asked with a sigh.

"Just leave me, I'm fine down here." She rolled her eyes and, in one swift move, picked me up and gently placed me back onto the bed. She pushed me up in a sitting position and pulled a couple of pillows up from beside me, piling them up behind me.

"Ino called you parents to tell them you were staying at her place. She's going to come over later with your assignments and stuff like that. I couldn't risk moving you to Ino's house. The fatass beat you pretty badly."

My eyes widened. "Homework?" I said, suddenly panic-stricken. "What day is it?"

"It's Wednesday, which means you were out for two days. I have your homework for yesterday," she said dispassionately, looking at the Oba-san in confusion. The old woman merely smiled at us before she disappeared down the stairs.

"Where is it?"

"I'll give it to you once you eat something. I don't want you passing out on me. Keeping you here longer than I have to will just make more trouble for you."

"Don't be stupid. Just give it to me so I can finish it quickly."

She turned and stared at me intently. I returned her look with a blank one. "I'm just concerned about your well-being."

"I didn't even know you were capable of that," I replied coldly. Well-being, yeah right, it's almost laughable.

"Goes to show you don't know jack shit about me," she replied with a grin, reaching down for a cigarette box. I looked at her disgustingly. She chuckled and said, "Don't worry I'm not going to give you cancer. It's empty, see?" She flipped the top open and held it for me to see before throwing it across the room and into the wastebasket by her desk. Now that I look at it, her room was a real mess. I don't think she even uses her dresser because her clothes were strewn all over the sofa. There were mountains of it on and around it, leaving only specks of a velvety green showing. I wondered how many cigarette packages lay underneath.

I tried to get her to leave by waving an arm to the direction of the door. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to take the length of my sleeves into account and slapped her across the cheek with it. She flinched and looked at me in slight annoyance. I smirked triumphantly figuring I could try to annoy her as much as I could in my spare time. I proceeded to hit her with my sleeves with a soft _fwap_ with each blow. She didn't react immediately and sat staring at the wall, while trying her best to ignore me. I shouldn't have gotten cocky and smacked her across her brow because that was the last straw, triggering her irritation to the extent where I thought I was going to die. Well, that was what I thought when she twisted her body around to face me with a full-blown glare that seemed to have been cemented on her face. In that light, I took a good look at her foreign features. I managed a small smile as I studied her, hoping she wouldn't hurt me. Her eyes seemed particularly green at that moment, and I couldn't help but wonder if they were contacts.

She raised a hand, and I thought for sure she would hit me! But instead, she grabbed my right hand and held my wrist tightly, but not tight enough to hurt me, as she started to roll up the soft cotton. I didn't resist when she rolled my sleeve to my wrist and started on my other one. Instead, I took the time to study her face, trying to look for signs that might be a warning for some sort of foreboding danger on my part. But she looked so serene at that point, I was almost scared. My heartbeat quickened and I knew that could only mean something ominous. Her cool demeanour seemed to be overpowered by an odd sense of something else I couldn't quite describe as she overlapped the cloth with such care, I wasn't even sure if this was the same Temari I came to loathe anymore.

Afterwards, the two of us said nothing as we sat. I had a feeling she was waiting for something. I just wanted her to give me my homework and go away. A couple of minutes later, I heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs again. I looked at the door warily, wondering who it could be this time. Temari got up, rounded the doorway and disappeared. She emerged moments later with a silver tray, a familiar pink-headed trouble right behind her. She took a seat on the sofa, lying across it comfortably as if she lived here, which I doubt. I didn't pay much attention to her when Temari set the tray in front of me and handed me a spoon. The cutlery and the tray both had elaborate designs carved into their handles, albeit they were not the same. However, they did seem to be made of real silver.

"Staring at it won't make you full," Temari said with a smirk. "It's just mushroom soup, but Grandmother's soups are the best around. You can say it's one of the reasons we came to Konoha. You should consider yourself pretty damn lucky for me to have been the one to save you." I stared at the bowl of liquid, poking the giant mushroom floating around. The tofu looked like sunken icebergs surrounding the mushroom (1). I didn't know if I should eat it or not.

"Don't worry about it, there's a lot more to go around. This was supposed to be our snack, but we didn't account for you to be waking up so soon. No worries, Grandmother would never poison you, just eat it." I looked at her critically, but felt my stomach betraying me. Carefully lifted the spoon to my lips and took a tentative sip. I blinked and eagerly went for more. I hadn't even noticed how hungry I was until now. I choked.

"Jeez," Temari said with a snort, "slow down before you kill yourself. There's plenty more to go around." Temari walked over and took a seat beside me, reaching behind me. I felt goose-bumps and shivers travelling up my body as she stoked my back in a steady up and down motion. I choked again in spite of myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Haruno's wide smirk as she was lying on the couch, arms folded beneath her head. That was the first time I noticed she wasn't wearing her sunglasses. Her bright green eyes sparkled mischievously as she watched us. Although to me, they seemed duller than they were supposed to be. No wonder Ino freaked out that day.

"Well then," Haruno suddenly said, standing up, "I'll be in the studio. I hope this incident doesn't throw you off track, Temari, the deadlines are coming up."

"Don't worry! If I continue at this pace, I'll be done soon. I'll be down in a bit." I finished off my soup, ignoring their conversation. They always spoke in code anyway.

As Temari was gathering the tray, her phone rang. She cursed loudly and reached into her pocket to retrieve her phone. "Yeah?" she said harshly into it." I watched as her expression changed from irritated to something between the lines of cheerful and dutiful. "Yes. No, I'm not busy. Erm, yeah she is. She just woke up, so I think she's fine now. Of course, I'll be right there."

She hung up with a sigh and casted me a look before picking up the tray and exiting the room. She came back about five minutes later with a stack of books and paper. "Here you are," she said simply before leaving again. I picked up piece of paper at the top of the pile listing my assignments and each of their instructions. Who knew Ino was so thoughtful? As I shifted through the pile to look for the textbook I needed, I heard Temari call at the bottom of the stairs, "Grandmother, I need to go pick up Gaara, tell Sakura the painting she wants is the one on the third easel. She should be downstairs." I listened with an intent curiosity as I heard her open the door. "Oh, and don't forget to open the door when Ino comes. She's a small blonde, blue eyes, and kind of ditzy. You'd recognise her right away. I suggest you keep her away from Sakura, they're not on the best of terms."

The Oba-san chuckled. "Alright, will you be back for dinner?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I just need to go get Gaara, and probably Kankurou too because he snatched a ride this morning. They never really think, do they?"

"Well, that's why you're here, Temari-chan. Oh, and can you go pick up some groceries? I have a list here."

"Alright, see you in a bit." The front door closed, the beep of the security system echoing through the whole house. I didn't realise Temari wore the pants in the household. All three of them were the same age so why does she have to take charge? It's curious, but it doesn't really concern me.

* * *

I stretched, flinching when a dull pain shot through my leg once I tried bending it. I glanced over at the egg-shaped clock on the wall reading 5: 18pm. It's been nearly an hour since Temari left and I had finished two of my assignments. I was about to start on the third one when I realised I really, _really_ needed to use the washroom. I tried to get out of the bed but once I got my legs hanging over the edge of it, I wasn't sure what I should do. As if on cue, someone walked into the room, so stealthily I hadn't even heard them come up. I looked up and jumped a little when I saw Haruno standing there looking at me curiously. Her brow was raised but she didn't look as dangerous as before. Like I said before, she looked kind of dull, not just her eyes, everything about her looked a bit dull.

"Have you seen a pair of scissors around here?" She said nonchalantly. I pointed to the Wonder Woman pencil holder on her desk. Haruno said nothing as she grabbed the pair of scissors in it. She was just about to leave when she stopped and turned around. "Are you okay?"

I looked down, feeling my face flush with embarrassment. "I need to pee," I said quietly. She quirked a brow, turned around, and ran down the stairs. Before I can run a curse through my head, she reappeared at the doorway. I blinked.

"I had to put away the scissors so I don't stab you," she said without a trace of emotion. I blinked again, unsure of what to say. She held out a hand, which I took rather guardedly. To me, it was like playing with those old alligator games, the one where you push every tooth until you're left with one. It felt like every move I made, I was liable to get bitten. Without a word, she held me up, telling me not to stand on the other leg. The pain was still there, but it wasn't as sharp. However, the rest of my body still felt numb. I tried to depend on the other girl as little as possible, but my body felt too heavy for me to lift. I leaned on her shoulder as she guided me towards the washroom. I was surprised she hadn't retaliated in any way yet, but even more so at the fact she came back for me. For a second, I really wondered whether she was such a bad person after all.

She opened the door for me as I entered the washroom and closed it again after I stepped in. The size of it alone caused me to feel a bit uneasy. It must've been a shared washroom because it had exactly three sinks, shining with cleanliness. I stumbled over and grabbed onto the counters for support, the polished marble felt cold under my fingertips. The smooth porcelain sink were spotless, as were the shiny gold taps branching off of it. I felt a bit out of place when I looked into the mirror. The mirror had intricate designs all along the border of it, with wall lamps made more for decoration than lighting on either side.

Expensive-looking paintings and soft plush towels seemed to stare back at me distastefully. But even my own reflection startled me. My dishevelled hair poked out in all directions, my buns no longer where I left it. My face looked sunken and there was a noticeable pink around my eyes. I barely recognised myself. I looked like a wreck. I reached up and touched my cheek. Hadn't it been a bit softer? Or has it always been like this? I guess I never really looked at myself clearly in the mirror since Neji. After all, there was no need to look pretty anymore.

I looked ridiculous in these clothes too. I looked very small, or maybe I just felt very small right now. I held up a sleeve and watched the soft fabric go limp over my hand. The cloth had rolled itself out some time after Temari had rolled it up. Damn, is this really Temari's? I really don't remember her being so tall. But it smelled like her. I blinked. Wow, my mind is really fucked up right now. I leaned in closer to the mirror and glared at it, touching a cheek with a hand. Huh, was this beauty mark always here? Well it sure looks out of place now compared to the rest of my blemished skin. I look tanner now too since I joined the track team.

My hand fell to my collarbone. I ran a finger across it, feeling more bone than I would've hoped. Salads. I've been eating nothing but salads for lunch haven't I? I didn't even realise it. I just bought it because it was easier for me to multitask. I think I lost a lot of weight. Even if I was overworking myself, it can't be helped. I'm either swamped with work or I have too much free time, which usually leads to the former. It's been a long time since I cared how I look, but this is just…ridiculous. Unconsciously, my hand floated down to my chest, cupping it. I stared at it through half-lidded eyes. They really were small, I thought idly. No wonder they all left me. That idiot was probably right. Even if Temari _is _doing this for a certain goal, she would probably think it was a waste of time. I should probably tell her that. I should.

Get a grip, Tenten. Why is this even bothering me? I told myself I don't care about this shit anymore. Seriously I sound like every other girl. I don't need to impress anyone with looks, and I have more important things to worry about. Self-consciousness is only a temporary blockade. But this is why I hate mirrors. I turned away with a scowl, my heart clenching into a tight ball. Carefully, I stumbled over to the toilet.

Now the painful part: retrieving the shorts. I couldn't exactly stand up, so I wasn't sure what to do. Suddenly, I heard the distant chime of the doorbell. I ignored it, seeing as it was none of my concern. But the muffled thumping of footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs again. Dammit, did Haruno leave? How the hell am I supposed to get back now? The footsteps stopped abruptly, initiating a protesting creak from the floorboards. It came from this floor so she must still be there. She's probably very bored.

"What--Wait, where's Tenten? What did you do with her?" I heard a muffled voice say right outside the door. My ears perked up and I tried to listen in as best I could in my position, all the while trying to put my shorts back on.

"What the fuck are _you_ doing here (2)?" came the second voice, probably Haruno's. If that's the case, then the voice must've been Ino's. Great. Just great. Goddamn you Ino, you better not scare her away! I need someone to open the door for me!

"It's none of your business. Just tell me where Tenten is."

"Well what the hell do you think?"

"I wouldn't ask you if I knew, well would I?"

"Well let me ask you this," Haruno said slowly, emphasizing every key word as if she was explaining something to a five-year-old, "who the _fuck_ is _stupid_ enough to _stand_ in _front_ of a _washroom_ _door_ for _no_ good _reason_?" Silence. Ah, Ino, you can be pretty slow sometimes. I suppose this is the part where I make an entrance, huh?

After I finally pull my shorts up, I retraced the path I took towards the door, grabbing the counters for support. This time, I stayed away from the mirrors. I shifted my weight on my good leg and gently knocked on the door. I waited. It was quiet outside, but after a while, the door opened. Haruno looked at me boredly, but held out an arm for me. I looked around for Ino and caught her sulking in the corner. "What did you do?" I asked innocently.

"Nothing. Sometimes, animals tend to be frightened when you stare at them long enough," she replied with a smirk. I rolled my eyes. I had a feeling Ino was intimidated by her emerald eyes. Even to me, I had the feeling they would corner me and sap a little bit of me out of my body and into them. Imagine how Ino must feel. I swear the girl's got demon eyes. No wonder she wears those sunglasses. Well, if Temari can fuck with me all the time then I don't particularly give a shit about Ino. But I think the best explanation for Ino's behaviour would be that she felt stupid after her and Haruno's short conversation.

* * *

After a lot of spazzing on Ino's part about coming assignments, school gossip, and all that kind of stuff, she finally got a phone call home. Even though I said "a lot" of spazzing, it was actually only thirty minutes, but time goes around differently when you're being ranted to. I sat in the kitchen helping Oba-san peel potatoes. I was staying one more night, as my parents were told. Therefore, it was only right I should help out with dinner. But even if that was what I believed, the old woman looked very surprised when I offered. The atmosphere was warm and comfortable. Oba-san and I talked about various things of no importance. It's one of those conversations where people tend to remember the feel of it rather than the actual words spoken. It was nice, and I've never had one like it with another adult, especially a senior. I wonder what kind of curse she's been inflicted to have a grandchildren as strange as the three siblings, namely Temari.

"Grandmother, we're back," said a deep voice from the foyer. A loud rustling echoed through the emptiness of the room, the exquisitely designed walls unable to absorb any of the sound. The door closed again. "Bring this to the kitchen. I need to get the rest of it from the car," I heard Temari say. The loud rustling and padded footsteps of cotton on tiles came closer.

"Oh? Well, good morning to you, sleeping beauty," said Kankurou as he placed two bulging plastic bags in front of me. I stopped and looked up at him, his mile-wide grin catching me off guard. Gaara appeared behind him holding only a jug of milk. "Don't scare her, Kankurou, she hasn't fully recovered yet," he said monotonously. I was surprised how he can say something that should make you feel warm inside in such a cold tone.

"Yes, yes, of course," Kankurou replied sticking out his tongue as he started unloading the bags. "Ah, you were the one who brought such chaos to our house, huh? It's almost surreal that the victim of the mess was the Vice President herself. Jesus, girl, everyone thought you were the perfect role model. Everyone respected you even after what that bastard Neji did. Don't worry, not all of us are completely blind." He winked. "But just to give you a heads-up, everyone's suspecting you and Temari now. Man! They already started suspecting during the whole cafe fiasco but then the two of you suddenly disappeared…" Temari walked into the room with a raised brow, an armful of paper and plastic bags. "…From the school's gossip pages, you know?" Kankurou finished with a nervous smile. Temari was silent as she put down the groceries and gave Kankurou a light slap across the head.

"Are you hiding something from me?" She said with a hint of a smile.

"No, ma'am!" Kankurou replied in a mock salute, stiffening his body. I stared at them, amazed by the warmth they radiated for each other, even Gaara, who was quietly helping Oba-san wash the vegetables. I am an only child, so this kind of stuff is sort of difficult for me to digest. I don't understand how they can behave like this around each other, yet totally different with other people.

I've never talked to Kankurou and Gaara. It's not that I don't like them I just never found the need to. I don't have any classes with them. I've heard plenty of things about Gaara from his many fans. Some people say he might be asexual because he was so anti-social. But the infamous rumour about him sending a student to the hospital in less than ten minutes said otherwise. Ino mentioned once that the victim of that incident looked a bit like Sasuke, therefore initiating rumours about Gaara and Naruto. It was never proven, of course, but he always denied it instead of ignoring it like he would everything else. Kankurou on the other hand, was almost like a male Ino, so to speak. He is one of the most charismatic people in school and can very well get away with everything with his words. He has the tendency to change girlfriends often but, unlike Ino, he doesn't sleep around. The three, including Temari, seemed very different from each other, yet they got along so well.

Dinner was enjoyable, although I felt a bit out of place. Conversation flowed easily with Kankurou and Oba-san around and even Gaara contributed. We talked about nothing important, but I was surprisingly relaxed, despite this being Temari's household. The food was delicious, of course, and there wasn't any rice. Can you believe that? No rice! It was so different from my own house where the atmosphere makes your skin tingle with nerves.

"Oh yeah, Temari. Gaara and I decided we should tell you this," Kankurou said suddenly. I didn't know what they were talking about, of course, but I stopped in mid-chew along with the rest of the table to stare at him. The air around us suddenly darkened, causing me to shift uncomfortably. Temari looked at him with a questioning look on her face, causing the small smile she had on earlier to completely vanish.

"What's up?" She said coolly.

"I took the position Father offered me," Kankurou said quietly, "I'll be leaving with Gaara." Temari didn't look surprised. She didn't say anything and merely stared at the half-eaten plate in front of her. I didn't know for sure, but it didn't sound like such a positive thing on Temari's part. I mean, they're so close. The mere mention of the word leave could sabotage their relationship. Frankly, I believe no bond is strong enough to maintain a long-distance relationship and not manage to drift apart completely in the end.

* * *

That night, I had to share a room with Temari. Of course, you smart-asses out there all saw it coming. After dinner, Temari was very quiet and didn't protest when I asked to sleep alone. As I got ready for bed, we didn't exchange a word. Instead, strangely enough, she sat on the sofa and simply stared ahead at nothing. She looked like she was deep in thought, so I didn't disturb her. I decided to finish one more assignment before I went to bed. It was a very short assignment, but even after I was done she was still sitting on the sofa with her brows furrowed in thought. Of course, I had my own problems to think about. For example, I have to return to that hell hole tomorrow and ask for extensions for all the assignments I received. But still, it's kind of hard not to notice that something isn't right when someone like Temari goes all quiet like this.

"Are you okay?" I asked tentatively.

She looked at me with a startled look. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied with a half-hearted smile.

"If you want, you can take the bed."

"No, it's fine."

"Well we could probably share it…on certain terms," I said nervously.

She chuckled and said, "No, that'd be the biggest form of torture." I looked at her confusedly, not sure what to say. But I didn't have to think because she suddenly stood up, dusting off non-existent dust from her jeans. I watched her as she moved across the room, almost mechanically, to retrieve her wallet on the desk at the foot of the bed. She then grabbed the jacket that was hanging off the computer monitor, and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

She didn't turn around when she said in a breaking tone, "I'm sorry, Tenten. Kankurou will get you to school on time tomorrow morning. This is nothing personal, I just need someone tonight."

* * *

**1. Matsutake no osmashi - Clear mushroom soup. Matsutake is a very expensive mushroom, hence why she's freaking out. I've never had it myself though, that's just what I've heard/looked up.**

**2. For people who didn't notice, Sakura was downstairs at the time Temari left. Therefore, she isn't aware of the fact Ino was here to visit Tenten. She wasn't with them either when Temari explained to Tenten where her assignments were.**

* * *

A/N: Yay! Well this chapter may be a bit confusing, but if you don't understand it you eventually will. So not much to say here, reviews are much appreciated :D Oh, and this story's been getting more reviews than Double Life! I don't know whether to be happy about that or not...it's a bit bittersweet. I actually like DL's plot more but I think its a bit...poorly written. But I will continue working on this for now!


	8. Ino: Unnecessery

**A/N: Oh my god I'm finally done. Sorry for that little writer's block, I've been sort of caught up in some stuff. But I finished this chapter, and I've actually started on chapter 12 of Double Life. Yay...**

* * *

Chapter 8: Ino - Unnecessary

I don't know what's stranger, seeing Tenten eat one of those disgustingly humungous cafeteria burgers and not be doing any sort of work or having both Temari _and_ Haruno invite themselves to our table for no apparent reason. I really can't even try to understand Tenten sometimes. She's been eating more since she stayed at Temari's, which was…a couple days ago, I guess. I suppose this is better for her though it's still a bit strange to see her so relaxed during breaks. Well, as relaxed as a workaholic can get. Then there're those two donkeys that seem to be everywhere. I know they're purposely trying to make our lives miserable, blah, blah, blah. But this is a bit much, isn't it? It's not like anyone one invited them. They just spontaneously appeared and took the two empty seats across from us and next to Shikamaru. And they, by the way, scared the pineapple-headed bastard away just when I finally got a chance to sit him down and interrogate him about math. Now I'm not sure whether to be angry or scared. I think Tenten is thinking the same thing as well, because she stopped chewing. Oh, and she looked so happy too while she was eating that thing. But that's beside the point. At least we're not attracting that much attention anymore, just a couple of sideway glances now and then. This is like déjà vu almost.

"Good morning, ladies!" Temari said with a grin. I looked at Tenten, who looked at me back with a mirroring expression. I stole a glance at Haruno, and instantly wished I was invisible as I caught her emerald eyes smirking back. Ugh, that brief eye contact! I swear she's doing this on purpose just to irk me. Fuck, one of these days I'm gonna kill her. I can feel her eyes trying to burn a hole in me. I'm usually fine with this but, dammit, this is making me uncomfortable! I looked at her again and almost fell off my chair when I realised she was actually _staring into space_! Okay, that's just not right. Stop freaking out, Ino, you'll get wrinkles this way.

"What are you doing here?" Tenten said rather coldly after she swallowed. Always the polite one, she is.

Temari looked thoughtful for a minute. "Hm, I don't know actually. Well, Grandmother told me to keep an eye on you. I suppose she developed a soft spot for you in that short period of time. I don't know what you two did behind my back, nor do I think I'd want to know. But I suppose…" She leaned in toward Tenten, and said in a very secretive, but audible, voice, "…that would make you a legitimate candidate for my future spouse."

Tenten blinked. "Anything else?" she said nonchalantly, taking another bite of her burger.

Temari gaped at her. Haruno smirked and said, "Ouch. Shot down." Temari propped an elbow on the table and glared at Haruno, who merely returned it with a smug look as she opened a can of pop. Then, out of nowhere, she produced a bright pink straw and stuck it into the can.

Always one to speak my mind, I said with a raised brow, "You don't look so tough now, you know that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry I ruined your perfect image of me. But I'm sorry to tell you that, sometimes, even the toughest mobsters like pink straws for a change," she replied sarcastically, taking a sip.

I flinched. "W-what the hell? How would you know?" I said, not believing she was a real mobster herself, despite everything.

"Because," she said with an ominous tone that sent shivers down my spine, "my father's the head of the Yakuza (1), and I've seen him drink out a, not pink, but a _purple_ straw." Temari snorted and snickered. Bitch! Dammit, I almost believed her too! Tenten looked at me and rolled her eyes, a faint smile playing on the corner of her lips.

"You're pretty gullible, aren't you?" Haruno said with a smirk. "I suppose its part of your charm."

"P-p-part of my…" I repeated stupidly. I could feel the blood rushing to my face. "You say too many unnecessary things, you weed," I muttered, in attempt to hide the fact that I was blushing. If looks could kill, I would kill her fifty times over just for that.

She stared at me blankly. "Right back at you, pork chop."

I fired at her the most venomous glare I could muster, while desperately try to think of something that would offend her. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Temari and Tenten chatting normally (albeit a bit one-sided), fully ignoring us, along with everyone else. Out of desperation, I said the first thing that came to mind, which just so happened to be her _forehead_ since I was staring at it, trying to avoid her mocking eyes. I mean, it's not extremely big, but still a bit bigger than average foreheads.

"My what?" she said with a bemused look on her face.

"Y-you heard me! You forehead!" I cried, trying to cover up my stupidity, yet unintentionally making it worse for myself.

"And that's supposed to be insulting, how?"

"Because!" I leaned over and touched a tuff of hair that obscured part of her forehead, brushing it away to reveal the flawless skin underneath. Holy shit, how can someone not have a single hint of acne at all? She looked up at me with a raised brow. "Have you _seen_ the size of your forehead lately?" She glared at me and turned away, letting her hair fall back into place. Both Tenten and Temari had stopped talking to look at us. Tenten had an absolutely horrified expression etched on her face while Temari looked amused. Before I could withdraw my hand, the pink-haired girl's arm up and grabbed my wrist.

"Aren't you getting a bit friendly?" Haruno said with a critical look. "Or did you honestly think I'd get pissed that easily?"

"F-forehead," I said, trying to provoke her just because I had nothing better to say.

"Are you an idiot?"

"Smarter than you," I replied confidently. She rested an elbow on the table and looked at me with a raised brow. Leaning over, she placed a finger on my calculus homework, which I had completely forgotten about up until now. Following her finger, I saw it was the question I was supposed to ask Shikamaru earlier.

"The answer's right but the work is wrong. Dumbass, it doesn't make sense at all." I could feel my face flush with embarrassment. I elbowed Tenten who sat giggling beside me. She then pulled on a serious expression and looked over at my textbook, then over at my answer. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to mentally figure out the problem as quickly and accurately as she could. Haruno sighed and, just to prove that she was right _and_ to annoy the hell out of me, she went through it step by step. By the end of it, I was still more confused than anything. After _much_ arguing and frustration, I finally began to grasp it.

Tenten looked at the other girl in wonder. "But how did you figure that out so fast?" she said.

"You get the hang of it," Haruno replied simply.

"It's okay," Temari joined in with a grin, "I won't even try to comprehend that stuff, so don't worry about it. Sakura here isn't normal, that's all."

"Well if you'd try just a _bit_ harder, Temari," Haruno replied with a frown.

"Hey Forehead-face, help me on this one," I interrupted. I was barely paying attention to their conversation anyway.

"Can't you think of a better insult than that? At least something more appropriate. And what kind of retard insults someone when they need their help?"

"Well, since you simply intruded our peaceful lunch hour, not to mention you chased away the only guy liable of helping me on this, the least you could do is help me on this."

"Well shit, I really wouldn't know how much help that lazy bastard would be anyway. And do you honestly think I want to sit with you two hoe-bags?"

"Well no one invited you anyway, so you can leave any time now. I don't even understand why you're here. I'll just get Shikamaru to help me," I replied with a scowl.

"Because I held Temari up and we couldn't get a table. And," she said with a smug grin, "Temari said she missed someone, so she dragged me here with you."

"W-what?" The sandy-blonde said in a voice different from her usual laid-back one. Tenten looked at me confusedly. I shrugged and she turned her attention back to her orange juice. Oh my god, it's me isn't it? But after all that with Tenten…maybe it was all planned out! Now I'm scared. Maybe I should switch tables. Haruno must've sensed my anxiety too because she reached across the table and held up a hand in a mock whisper, the tip of her nose nearly touching Tenten's.

"See, things are gonna get a bit awkward from now on. Soon, it'll be just you and me. Who knows where these two will be." She smirked. Reaching over, she cupped the side of the brunettes face, causing her to blanch noticeably. I sat frozen in my spot. Her thumb grazed over Tenten's parted lips as she tilted her chin up in the process. "You got a bit of sauce here. Let me help you with that." She leaned in and managed to lick off the small smudge of barbeque sauce before a hand came up from behind and grabbed her hood back. She twisted around and peered at Temari, her hand still cradling Tenten's face. Her lips curled into another smirk. The zippers from her jacket rattled noisily against the table as she released poor Tenten and slid off the table. She quickly shouldered her jacket properly, which had fallen to her elbows, exposing her shoulders. As she stood there having a stare-down contest with Temari, I got a real chance to study her. And I wasn't even conscious of doing it until Haruno looked at me, and of course I returned the look with a fiercer one. I must be crazy for thinking this, but she and Temari were both _really _attractive. And maybe I've already said that before, but it's true! It might be their crazy fashion sense, I don't know. Haruno was slimmer than Temari, who had a more toned body, and if it wasn't for that stupid attitude, she would be really cute. Ah, I might be going to hell for thinking that.

She glared at her friend. "Alright, Sakura, we're leaving," she mumbled, standing up stiffly, "I really do hate you sometimes, you know."

"By the way, Ino," Temari said, turning around, "that shitty insult you came up with, it's hard to believe but she used to be really sensitive about that."

"Just walk, dumbass," Haruno said quickly, kicking her friend.

With that, the two of them left, leaving Tenten and I a bit dumbfounded. Tenten looked pissed but the pink in her face showed no sign of receding.

"What the fuck was that?" she grumbled. I shrugged.

"Temari likes me apparently, and Haruno likes you," I replied, trying to state the obvious. She blinked at me, her blush now retreating to her ears.

I'll be damned if we were thinking the same thing. But even though that was what they just said, it didn't seem right to me. It's not that there's anything wrong with Temari and I getting together…wait, what am I saying? _Everything_ is wrong with that! I can rant on and on about this but I think I'll save you the trauma. You know, if you think about it, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Then again, since the day Tenten got assaulted in the hallway, nothing started making sense. For god's sakes we ended up in the middle of nowhere in some deserted rural area. And I almost got raped!

"This is stupid," Tenten said nonchalantly, interrupting my thoughts, "they should know better. Don't worry about it so much, Ino. I can see it in your face, you're gonna get wrinkles you know?"

"W-what?"

"They're just fucking around with us as usual, so you shouldn't let it get to your head. You don't think they're serious, do you?"

"Well, I don't know. Temari looked pretty panicked when Haruno told us her secret."

Tenten laughed, but just a bit nervous than usual. "Well, you have fun with her. I just don't believe she's the monogamous type, y'know. Nothing beyond sex, I'm guessing. Not that it matters too much to you."

I made a face at the thought of what just might happen to me. Y'know what? I can't even imagine myself kissing her. It just seems really strange to me. Maybe I'm too straight for my own good. Then again, I'd rather kiss Haruno than her. I don't know why, but with Haruno, I can actually imagine myself doing it. And that scares me. But I think I know the reason behind that! See, Temari seems like the dominating type. And I've seen how she acts around Tenten, which is probably her "true nature" or something. The things she does, in my opinion, are just so vulgar! I don't want her hands all over me that way. I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it. Seriously, you'd think being with so many guys would change your mind. I mean they practically invite themselves when it comes to touching. But I suppose that's alright. I'm just being honest about my sexuality here. It's not like I'm hiding anything, nope. And with Haruno, well it's still a bit of a mystery, but Tenten seems satisfied with her. The things she does is probably just what she does around me. She really does hate me, and I hate her back with thrice the velocity.

"What about you Tenten?" I asked, a sudden thought striking me.

"What about me?" she said, picking up her backpack. I stood up from my seat and tagged alongside her as she began walking towards the cafeteria entrance.

"Do you think you're the monogamous type?"

She snorted. "I'm too asexual to even consider being polygamous," she replied with a short laugh.

I rolled my eyes and playfully poked her sides, knowing full well that, unlike me, she was not the least bit ticklish. "Would you just cut the asexual crap already? I highly doubt you're asexual."

"I thought I made it clear."

"It's because of Neji, isn't it? He's a bastard, you should just forget about him."

"I already did. I never loved him anyway, and it was obvious he didn't either."

"Do you realize how much you've changed, Tenten?"

"Everyone and everything changes," she said coldly.

"I'm just worried about you, you know?"

"If I were you, I'd worry about the issue you've got with Temari right now," she said with a, what I swore to be, tinge of bitterness in her voice.

"Well, I'm not seeing anyone right now. Maybe she's worth a shot," I said playfully. Tenten looked at me, absolutely horror-struck. "I'm just joking, Tenten. Relax. I don't know why you're getting more worked up about this than I am. Your real danger here is Haruno. Temari may be an animal, but she's not as sadistic as Haruno."

"I'm not getting worked up about this! I don't care what they do, but whatever they're planning seems a bit fishy to me. It just seems kind of, I don't know, off? At least one of us is gonna end up getting hurt." She averted her eyes and glared at the ground in front of her as she walked on faster. I mutely nodded, not wanting to go further into the subject. She's always crystal clear when she's annoyed like this. I don't understand but I suppose it's not really my problem either.

Just then, the bell rang, warning the beginning of third block. I stopped in front of Tenten when we came to a fork in the hallway. She started to walk off towards her next class, but I pulled her back by the collar. She stopped and turned around with a raised brow.

"I know you're not asexual," I said with a small smile, "so stop thinking you are, because I also know that you're lonely. We all are sometimes." The brunette simply looked at me before withdrawing herself and disappearing through the stream of students rushing to the next block.

Maybe that was a bit cheesy, but she didn't have to run...

* * *

"Ino-chan, is that you?" came Dad's voice booming through the hallway. I threw my bag onto the couch along with my jacket as I called back. I was just about to head upstairs when I saw my dad's head poke out from the kitchen.

"Hold it, Ino-chan," he said quickly. I stopped on the first step and leaned over the handrail to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"Can you take Paku to the daycare for me? I have a date tonight."

"Must you have it at home, Dad?" I said with a sigh.

"Well, I wanted it to be special," he said, frowning. "Not that that's something someone as promiscuous as you can comprehend."

"D-Dad! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Will you do it or not? Or would you rather have your poor old man run around the city and completely bomb the date. Oh, Ino-chan, your daddy will never find love! Promise you'll never leave me all alone," he said with a dramatic swoon action. I can't even begin to describe how weird he looked at the moment with his lilac coloured apron and a ladle in his hand. For god's sakes, can he not see he's six feet four? And to make matters worse he loves maintaining his physique. Yet, he's so flamboyant even I question his sexuality sometimes. Oh well, I'll pretend its part of his charm as a fledging father…

I grumbled incoherently and stomped out the back door. I stood on the porch and called out her name. Within seconds, a ball of mocha fluff flew out of the little wooden house at the edge of the yard and attacked me in a volley of big sloppy licks. Paku was the Pomeranian we adopted after Mom left. She's a bit small for her age but is very affectionate. My dad loves her to pieces. Sometimes, even I question whether he loves me or the dog more. She's almost like the sibling I never had, so I guess its okay because I love her that much too. Dad takes her to work nearly everyday and let's her run around the shop. After a _long_ time, we finally managed to get her to stop knocking over and eating our flowers.

Like I said, we got her after Mom decided to split. Before that, the atmosphere in our house was pretty depressing. My poor daddy didn't have a clue what had happened, and he was depressed nearly every day, despite the fake reassuring smiles he sometimes plastered on his face. It didn't have as much an impact on me because I was already suspecting her, but it hurt nonetheless. But poor Dad lost so much weight! In fact, it was so bad that we had to close the flower shop for a week because neither of us felt like managing it. But after Paku, things started looking a bit brighter in the Yamanaka household. When we got her she was still a puppy, but she was all over us the moment we say her. So things started going uphill again. I guess you can say she sort of saved us. Sooo, Dad started working out and ate more. Now he even gets out there to make friends, and once in a while manages to get a date…or two. It's like nothing ever happened and I was asexually produced, which was fine with us.

I hooked up the leash to the dog's collar, only to have her run in circles around my legs and tangling the thick cord around me. I laughed and had to make her sit before I could untangle myself. Once I got out of it, she barked, causing me to jump and fall backwards.

"Paku!" I got up and glared at her large glossy eyes. But I couldn't resist, so I picked her up and carried her towards the gate. If you've ever seen a dog's innocent-face, you'd know what I was talking about.

The pet daycare I usually go to belongs to Uzumaki Naruto's dad, Iruka. Or is he the mom? I'm actually not too sure… But anyway, he's the husband of Kakashi-sensei, my perverted ass of a biology teacher, and together they adopted Naruto. The daycare place they own is one of the best around here, in my opinion, but still too new to have branches. Naruto is probably hanging around there right now. He's the only one who helps out since they haven't hired any workers yet. But I heard that was going to change. I've seen Sasuke help out sometimes too. No doubt it's volunteer work. If it wasn't for Naruto's manipulating ways, he would never get off his ass to do something for nothing.

The walk towards Bottlenose Pet Palace, as Iruka had so unoriginally named it (2), was mostly uneventful. I was walking along a line of tall bushes that barricaded the backyard. There was a thin iron fence behind it to prevent animals from escaping. This particular area was currently vacant since the lot was emptied out so it could be cleaned up. Suddenly, I heard a couple of voices coming from the direction of the wooden shack placed at the very edge of the field. I couldn't make out what they were saying but I could've sworn I heard my name. I'm sure you've figured it out by now, but I'm a very curious person. Like Tenten often says, this curiosity will one day be the death of me, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was right.

I pointed a finger at Paku and told her, in my sternest voice, to keep quiet. She looked at me with a cocked head and a confused look but understood. I picked her up and ducked into the bushes. The shack was placed right at the corner, so in the spot where I hid, I had a perfect view of the green expanse.

To my surprise and misery, it was none other than Haruno straddling Temari's lap. How the hell did they even get in there? But, heh, I always knew those two were suspicious. None of them said anything, but I could tell Haruno was scanning the bushes suspiciously through her concealed eyes. Out of nervousness, I clamped down Paku's muzzle with my hand, earning a surprised movement from the Pomeranian. Sakura directed her gaze to my area. I stiffened and mouthed Paku a command to stay. The pink-haired girl leaned in towards Temari, who had her back to me, and whispered something to her. The sandy-blonde's shoulders shook as she chuckled, but when she didn't turn around, I was sure I was safe.

"Temari," Haruno said, resting her chin on Temari's shoulder, "I hope this isn't gonna be a repeat of last time. A quickie is a quickie, alright? 'Cause I still have stuff to do. And before you do anything too extreme, keep in mind I only had two hours of sleep last night. I had a test and some portfolio--"

"That little bookworm in you is one thing that'll never change. You do realize this is your fault right?" Temari replied, gently pushing the other girl back. I couldn't see but I assumed she had pushed up her shirt or something.

"Don't pin this on me, Tema, you brought it upon yourself. You're simply frustrated now. If you hadn't been such a wussy that night, you could've had her. She was _right there_. But no, you just had to run to my house, eh?"

"She was incapacitated! I really don't stoop that low as to take advantage while they can't fight back."

"I don't understand why you're going through so much to get one good lay. That fall in love, fuck, and dump method never works you know. It's either they never leave you alone or you never leave them alone. It's stupid, okay?"

"But what if I _am_ in love?"

"It's possible, but a bit soon for you to be saying that isn't it? Sex first, isn't it?"

"I don't know. Somehow, this doesn't seem to be the case. Besides, you of all people should know the difference between love and lust."

The pink-haired girl shook her head. "No, I'm not naïve enough to believe that anymore. Maybe you are, perhaps you're not. So I guess that'd mean this will be our last fuck?"

"Maybe, but I doubt it. You know how she is. Feistier than a wildcat I should say. Geez Sakura, will you honestly be content with having no sex buddy?"

"I don't mind. Honestly, I have better things to do than be here right now. Like maybe that _project_ we were supposed to do for Jiraiya?"

"Screw him, he's a pervert."

"You know I need the credits. I don't give a shit about you, but I'm not gonna put my credits on the line. I need it for my portfolio too, the one _you_ should be starting soon."

"Goddammit, Sakura! How are we supposed to do this? You can't fucking move in these pants," Temari retorted, deliberately avoiding the subject.

"There's a zipper here, dumbass!"

"Are you serious? Are these pants designed for clothed sex?"

"Just shut up and fuck me. You take too long. I have to get back before they suspect me, y'know."

"It's because of your attitude that you always end up as a bottom! In fact, I can only think of one person you can dominate."

"Fuck you, Temari. Would you stop fucking bringing her up? There are loads of bottom girls, y'know! Like Te--" she moaned and collapsed into the other girl, her heels digging into the dirt. She opened her mouth to say something but she clamped it shut. Her fingers clawed Temari's shirt. The expression on her face was so out of character for me, I wasn't sure what to think. I could feel blood rush to my face and the quickened beating of my heart. The two's interactions became more fervent and every time Sakura tried saying something, Temari would do something that would make her collapse on her or throw her head back.

I had no idea how she was doing it, but she was definitely good. Oh man, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea for her to pursue me after all. After all, good sex isn't something people usually pass up on. I don't know, nor do I care, who they were talking about when they mentioned the incapacitated person. But damn, that girl must've missed out. And now that it's obvious Haruno wants Tenten, it would mean I get the sexier and less sadistic one. At least Tenten is on better terms with Haruno than I am.

Haruno's hair stuck to her face as the tempo of Temari's upper-arm movements sped up. Haruno tugged Temari's shirt with clenched teeth, her nails digging deep into the fabric. As crude as this scene should be, it seemed beautiful in its own way too. But maybe that's my confused conscience speaking, but I am just…really….turned on right now. The strangest part is that I can't even see what's going on, yet I can't seem to divert my gaze anywhere else. Maybe I'm just curious. After all, I've never seen two girls going at it so _openly_. Even if that's the case, I still shouldn't be thinking like this. It's all _wrong_. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Not knowing what I should do now, I snuck out of the bushes as stealthily as I could and ran towards the front entrance, the forgotten Paku in my arms.

I relaxed a little bit as I pushed through the glass door and entered the daycare. Naruto looked up from his handheld and closed it before straightening up from his chair. "Hey there, Ino-chan," he greeted with his famous grin. I smiled back and held up Paku, who wagged her tail happily at the sight of the other blonde. "So what'll it be today?"

"Ah, well, she's been outside a lot recently so her fur gets pretty gross sometimes. I suppose a groom would be nice, and maybe a nice bath while you're at it. Think we'll have to keep her overnight, my dad's got a 'friend' over," I said, my voice sounding a little shaky even to myself. But Naruto didn't seem to notice as he jotted down something on a clipboard.

"So, uh," I said slowly, trying to distract myself from thinking about what had just occurred, "so you said Iruka hired a new part-timer." I propped my elbow on the counter and rested a cheek on it, appearing as casual as I could manage at the moment.

"Huh? Did I? Well, yeah he did. But it took me _ages_ to persuade him to get one so I can work less shifts."

"But I thought Iruka didn't trust part-timers."

"I think it's obvious he's going to have to consider hiring more people sooner or later. I got him an old friend of mine. We kinda stopped talking when we got to high school, but she was the only one Iruka trusted and she was willing to do it anyway. As long as I get less shifts, I don't really care one way or another. At least it's a good opportunity to reacquaint ourselves."

"Ah."

"She should be here soon since she's already uh," he paused to take a glance at the clock, furrowing his brows as he did so, "just a little over five minutes late?"

"So you're not the only tardy one around here, eh?"

"Hey! I happen to be very punctual, thank you. Just not for the important stuff."

I laughed and opened myself to say something, but was interrupted when the wind chime at the front of the door sounded. I didn't turn around, thinking it was no one special anyway, and continued with my conversation with Naruto. I watched him shuffle behind the counter as he spoke. Behind him, a door slammed shut. The blonde picked up his backpack and grinned. "Well, I gotta go. I've got a date tonight."

"What? What about the part-timer?"

He blinked. "She just came in. How the hell did you miss her?" he said playfully with a chuckle.

"Well people usually greet each other when they see each other right?"

"Uh, depends who you see, I guess. But don't worry, Sakura-chan may seem scary at first, but she does things quickly and effectively. Truthfully, your Paku is safer with her than she is with me. Just give her the money once she comes out, I'm kinda in a rush. Sorry, Ino-chan! See you tomorrow!" he said quickly before he rushed out the door, the wind chime ringing so violently I thought for sure it would fall off.

I turned around and jumped as I suddenly came face to face with a slightly pissed off and disheveled looking Haruno. "W-what the hell! What are you doing here?" Images of her and Temari ran through my head like a broken record, before I knew it I began chanting the words "I am not a pervert" over and over in my head to keep myself sane. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. My face flushed in embarrassment once I zoned in on the uniform and bandana. Oh god, how did I not notice?

Her eyes were unmasked, yet the fierce look in them didn't have the same effect. They were like two jewels that have been through too many calamities to shine. At this moment, not even her hair could make her resemble her name in any way (3).

She looked at me boredly, and then down at the clipboard Naruto was holding earlier. "Do you need him groomed, or anything? Or is it just an overnight stay?"

"Uh, I'm pretty sure Naruto marked it down." She narrowed her eyes at me, then shuffled around a bit and retrieved a salmon pink case in the shape of a jelly bean. She unzipped it and pulled out a pair of red half-rimmed glasses. Putting it on, she glanced at the clipboard again, flipping a couple of pages back and forth. Biting off the pen cap, she twirled it in her hand and jotted something down very quickly, her brow furrowing in deep concentration. I would've never thought she was one to take things as seriously as this.

Looking at her this way, she looked nothing more than an average teen. Even her hostile expression didn't have as much of an impact. I'm betting most of it on her uniform and the lack of leather she wore.

"That'd be..." she trailed off and turned the register towards me, seeming like she was either too much of a bitch to bother or she was too tired to read the numbers out loud. I actually wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter. One hour of sleep? Hah! I bet by night she runs some sort of underground organization. Like dealing drugs and selling girls or something. They did mention something about Jiraiya, that perverted language teacher. Everyone knows he writes nothing but hentai, so it wouldn't be surprising if she sold girls to him for inspirations or something.

Well, despite my observations today, she's still the same old scary Haruno. She's still the same old leather-wearing, gangster-wannabe, slave-trade criminal, secretly bottom, dyke. With a cute Bottlenose Pet Palace uniform, of course.

"Hey, Yamanaka," she said rather gruffly, cutting off my train of thought, "quit staring at me and give me you're fucking dog."

I raised a brow at her. "Is that a way to talk to your customers?"

"Only if it's you." She motioned for me to step closer to the counter, which I reluctantly did. She roughly grabbed my arm and pulled me closer so we were eye level. Leaning in closer she said in a hostile tone, "I saw you, Yamanaka. And if you tell, I swear I'll break you if Temari doesn't get to you first. Understand this: there's nothing going on between us. If there was, I wouldn't be the one crying. But if rumours fly, I'll know it's you. If I were you, I'd just forget the whole thing or else it wouldn't be the only thing haunting you."

* * *

1/ Japanese mafia.

2/ Iruka means bottlenose dolphin.

3/ For those of you who didn't know, Haruno means spring field, as far as I know. Well, I know _haru_ means spring… So if you say Haruno Sakura, wouldn't that mean spring of cherry blossoms? _Haru no Sakura_ right?

**A/N: To be honest, I submitted some poems to get it published for a local thing, but I recently found out it just wasn't good enough for it. But I thought it was. So it got me thinking. So what makes it any different from these fics I write? I'm sure every author out there has jumped this hurdle before at least once. What, then, makes a good story good? I made a little chart for myself, but at this point it doesn't seem too plausible. So yeah, a bit of constructive criticism would be awesome now. And don't hesitate because you think you're being a bit too much of a bother either, even if it's a downright crash and burn type, as long as it's reasonable of course. **

**Another thing to add to my prolonged author's note: In this chapter, I tried something a little bit different. Of course, I don't believe it's too noticeable yet, but I'm working on it. That's the point of views I've started using. This fic is sort of like an experiment for me. The speech and narration and such should differ from character to character. And since I've started doing more than one person's point of view, there's going to be some stuff that needs figuring out. Like I said before, criticism, tips, whatever you wanna call them, will be much appreciated!**


	9. For the Better or For the Worse?

**A/N: _I AM ALIVE_. **Hurrah. Unfortunately there may not be any more updates for the summer. Going for a little trip to the States :D Also, there is a Anime Evolution. For those who may be attending, well I probably won't meet anyone. I'm just a baby staffer xD Cosplay is too big of a hassle, however I am helping out with the Cosplay Contest. Fun, fun. By the way, I drew something to go with this chapter, but since this part 1, I'll post it later on. Also, the footnotes aren't too important if you're familiar with JP food.

Hahah... I thought this was Chapter 10... Apparently I screw myself over.

* * *

Chapter 9: For the Better or For the Worse?

"Miss?"

Tenten tapped her pencil on the mocking blank sheet in front of her, her desperation for an idea to start her English essay throwing her mind all over the place. Her brows knit together in deep concentration, the frown on her face deepening still when thoughts failed to surface. She hadn't seen, nor had she head the woman waiting patiently beside her after tuning the world out in favour of her paper. She had heard a faint buzz that was the waitress's unsteady voice, but had thought nothing of it. It was a skill she had developed while working during lunchtime in the rowdy jungle of a cafeteria.

"Excuse me…!" the waitress said, trying to push the meekness out of her voice.

The brunette's head snapped up to attention, slightly confused to see the unfamiliar girl beside her. With a sigh, she rested her elbow on the table to support her chin, but did not fail to give the waitress a critical look. She was too irritated at the disruption to notice the waitress flinch.

"Yes?" she replied warily.

"Uhm, would you like anything to start?"

Letting her eyes flitter around the room in a brief observation, she concluded that she was in a private room of a Japanese restaurant. _Funny, _she thoughtidly, _I didn't remember wandering in here. _Her chocolate eyes roamed over the faux bamboo walls, the sliding paper screen doors, and the tatami seats with flat, useless cushions to complete. _Where the fuck am I?_

"Ramune (1)," Tenten said, thinking of the obvious choice for her in a Japanese restaurant aside from tea. She was sick of tea since the teapot at her desk at home with its proud mate, the water dispenser, was one of the only things that kept her company on long study nights. And that went specifically to green and rice tea because of the mountain of teabags she hid in her drawers.

"And just get me an edamame (2) to occupy myself with," the brunette finished with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Turning back to her paper, she could only glare at it in disgust. She reached over and tugged her biology textbook out to entertain herself instead. But even with the colourful images and bold text, she found herself looking at a blur.

_Aw hell, maybe I should call Ino_. She pushed her textbook away from her and leaned back against the cool walls. _What am I doing in a room this big?_ She mused, glancing across the empty table. In her mind, she replayed the day's events in order to pass some time before her order came.

_Oh, I remember what I'm doing here now. Mom forgot to come home again with a hundred dollar bill lying on the counter. What in the world makes her think I can eat a hundred dollar's worth alone? What, does she think I'm gonna go out and drink myself to death with her money? Or party it away? Jeez, if that's the case she should've given me two hundred, _she though cynically. _Hm, weird, I don't remember this place. It's uh… _she grabbed the menu from its precarious home on the edge of the table and flipped the menu over to look at the front cover. Seeing the address, her eyebrows shot up. _What the hell? Isn't this three blocks from Temari's? Huh, I haven't seen those two for weeks. No surprise, it's gonna be winter vacation in a month, everyone's getting work piled on. Ah, then there are midterms... Goddamn it's cold._

She hastily zipped up her jacket, rubbing her arms for extra warmth. _I hate November, not quite winter and not quite fall. One day it's rainy and wet and the next it's sunny but freezing. _

Tenten sighed again, this time even deeper. _Now, just how the hell did I manage to wander into that blonde pervert's neighbourhood? _

The waitress returned again with a clear blue bottle and a bowl of edamame on a plastic tray. Tenten let her hands fall to the middle of her seat, gripping the edge between her legs. She looked up at the stranger with a sheepish smile. The kind people give to another to let them know what an ass they've been. She felt surprisingly at ease when the girl returned it with a small, shy one after she had set the orders down.

"I haven't really thought about what to order yet, cou--"

She stopped when she caught a familiar figure making their way toward her. _Shit. _The waitress looked at her questioningly before following the brunette's gaze. Tenten abruptly turned her attention back to the waitress when she heard her drop her tray.

"Oh, lemme help you with that, hun." _Ugh, Temari. Why now?_

She watched as the sandy-blonde bent down and picked up the tray. She handed it back to the waitress and flashed a charming smile, earning a steady blush to spread on the other girl's face. The brunette watched with a piqued interest as Temari, who towered over the other girl, pulled her closer with a tug of the arm and whispered something in her ear. The waitress nodded quickly, the pink in her cheeks spreading by simply being so closed to the blonde.

"You're incorrigible," Tenten said after the waitress had left.

"Well now," Temari smiled, welcoming herself into the room. "I see you don't have any sense of fun," she gestured at the homework strewn over the table, "so perhaps you're just too corrigible."

The shorter girl frowned. "That's not true."

"Oh?"

"I know how to have fun."

Temari laughed, causing Tenten to narrow her eyes at her dubious response. Before she could say anything, however, the waitress returned with two translucent bottles. Temari turned around and thanked her before she scurried away again.

"Perfect timing. You said you're extreme, eh? So here," Temari said, pushing a bottle toward her.

"What is this? _Sake_?" Tenten said incredulously. "B-but don't you need ID for this?"

"Relax, I'm a regular here."

"Still you can't just… woo people like that… for this… kind of thing."

"I have my ways," Temari answered with a chuckle. "And for the record, I didn't woo anyone."

"But that waitress…"

"I've never seen her before today," she admitted, "Must be her first couple days 'round here."

"So…"

"So what?"

"How'd you get it?" Tenten said, feeling her patience eroding away steadily.

"It's a _mìmi."_

"A what?"

Temari shook her head with her unwavering grin. "Tsk, thought you were at least half Chinese or something. It's mandarin." She leaned in closer to the brunette. "Means secret."

"Oh c'mon," Tenten grumbled.

"You gonna drink it or not, you rebel?"

"I don't know…"

"Jeez, it's 17 per cent. Tell you what, if you get drunk, I'll take you home and promise not to molest you." Her smile turned into a fox-like grin as she held out a pinkie. Wondering what was wrong with herself, Tenten hesitated, but reached out and wrapped her own around Temari's longer pinkie.

The moment she did, the sandy-blonde locked the other girl's finger in place and pulled her towards herself easily in her surprised state. Unable to help herself, she wrapped her free hand around Tenten's neck and pulled her in for a kiss. The Vice President stiffened noticeably, her cheeks instantly flaming up. Temari smiled into the brunette's lips when she loosened herself slightly and returned it.

"Uhm…" The sound of another's voice was enough to bring Tenten back to reality, as well as reawaken her reflexes. Without warning, her free hand whipped around and slapped Temari her left cheek, relinquishing the hold she had on her lips as well as her hand. Temari sat there, bringing up a hand to her face, and blinked. Not a word was said. Tenten and the waitress both looked at her, eyes wide, in shock. As quick as she came, the girl turn tailed and walked away as fast as she could.

"A-are you all right?" Tenten stammered nervously as she crept closer to the blonde. "I d-didn't mean to, I swear! I-it was just…" Unconsciously, she reached up and tried to examine the damage. To her surprise, Temari reached up and grabbed her wrist in midair. Tenten felt her head hammer wildly against her chest when her brown eyes looked up to meet darkened green ones. Temari said nothing still when she reached behind her and pulled the door close. _S-shit_, _not good_, Tenten thought. Not liking how things were progressing, she shuffled backwards, driving herself into the wall with her legs folded up protectively in front of her.

"You're a feisty one aren't you?" Temari whispered in a hostile tone. She crawled closer. Pushing the brunette's legs over the side, she advanced with her wrist in her hand until almost completely on top of her.

Tenten looked her straight in the eye defiantly, trying to show the other girl that she was not afraid of her.

Temari bent down and captured her lips again, no less gentle than she had been before to the brunette's surprise. When Tenten didn't respond, she shoved her tongue past the slightly parted lips. Automatically, Tenten widened her mouth, but still she did not respond. If the other girl minded, she didn't show it.

_Push her off! _Tenten's mind screamed. _Don't you fucking dare enjoy it! I don't care how good it feels or how much you want to kiss her back, push her off before she does… She's unzipping your jacket! Push her off!! _Tenten's mind spun out of control. Mustering her courage and trying her best to ignore the warm tongue brushing against the inside of her mouth as well as the fact that her jacket was being parted, she pressed both her hands, realising only now that she had been freed, against the other girl's shoulder. But before she even pushed, she found herself weak against the things Temari was doing to her.

_Don't! Stop! Push her off dammit! What are you doing? _Tenten's mind kept screaming until it sounded little more than a whine to her.

Temari retracted her tongue and slowly migrated south, now finding the skin around her neck much more fun to torment. Her hand slipped under her shirt, slowly slithering to its destination only a little ways higher. Tenten opened her mouth to protest, but couldn't manage more than a squeak, much to he frustration.

_Oh please, no!_

Temari's hand bumped lightly against her bra, causing Tenten to squeeze her eyes shut and hope everything will be just a bad dream.

Suddenly, the blonde stop all movements and pulled her hand back. Burying her face in Tenten's neck, she laughed with less humour than she had anticipated. Tenten blinked when she sat up, bringing her body with her in an awkward embrace. Tenten didn't say anything, but was slightly startled to feel Temari's heart racing nearly faster than her own. "Now, what am I going to do with you?" When she pulled back, she smirked at the smaller girl. Tenten noted that her eye colour had returned to normal but she could've sworn she saw a hint of sadness that disappeared as soon as it had appeared.

"Why didn't you stop me? I coulda raped you, you know? Don't you know any self-defence?"

"Why did you do it then?" Tenten said, averting her eyes.

"Had to get you back somehow after that slap you gave me," she said with a shrug of her shoulder.

"Then why did you stop?" The brunette asked, this time keeping a serious gaze on the taller blonde.

"I don't rape girls in restaurants." Tenten looked at her dubiously.

"Uh huh…?"

"Well, I don't have to most of the time," Temari finished with a widening smirk.

"Right." Tenten shuffled away from the other girl and back to her original position before zipping up her jacket again.

"Your face is red."

"I know, shut up."

"Would you have liked for me to go further?"

"I'm not gay."

"Mmhmm. Look me straight in the eye and tell me you didn't enjoy my kisses _at all_. Never have, never will. Hmm?"

Desperate to change the topic now, Tenten grabbed the menu from the table. "Let's order, shall we?"

Temari chuckled, but let the topic go. Taking the menu from the brunette, she said with a grin, "Let me decide. After all, I know what's good here and what's not. And since this may be our first and last date, I can't just let it slide easily."

"Just because you interrupted my evening, it doesn't make this a date. You think much too highly of yourself."

"Oh do I now? Hm, if you say so."

The door was opened once again and the same waitress was called to take our orders. Temari went on and on, and by the time she stopped, Tenten had long realised her hundred wouldn't be enough. _I just wanted a rice bowl…_

"Trust me, that was necessary for two people," Temari said, reaching over and taking an edamame. "Their portions really aren't that big. And just to let you know, I did order some extra so I don't have to get up early on a Saturday morning to go buy food. I know tomorrow everyone will be out first thing in the morning, so no point mooching cold food. Honestly, I will never understand why you people get up early on weekends."

Tenten frowned. "And how the hell would you know if I did or not?"

"Of course I wouldn't know. But from the way you work, I'd say it was an educated guess. So am I right?"

The brunette chose not to answer.

"See? Hm, since you have most of your shit with you, wanna consider sleeping over at my place tonight? The house really is too big to wake up and find out you're the only one there."

_And risk getting raped? Is she fucking nuts?_

"Stop looking at me like I'm about to eat you. We don't even have to sleep in the same room if you don't want."

"Then what's the point of that?"

She shrugged. "Nothing, it's just a fun thing."

"Wouldn't you rather invite Ino over?" Tenten said suddenly, surprising herself as well as her companion.

Temari propped up her cheek with her arm as she lazily reached for another pod. "And why the hell would I want to do that?"

"Don't you miss her?" Tenten replied with a smirk.

"Why would I--Oh!" The sandy-blonde's brows furrowed as she tried to remember the incident three weeks ago. As it finally dawned on her, she made a face. "Oh, that was bad."

"What? You _don't_ like her?"

Temari snorted. "The only person in the world who can have enough patience to like her in that way would probably be Sakura."

Tenten, who had finally decided to pick up her Ramune, spewed it across the table before going into a coughing fit as the carbonation stung her. _What the fuck?_ She thought but couldn't say due to her coughing.

"Well, I don't know, she never tells me anything. I mean, just look at how well she's done in torturing the poor girl." She took a sip of the sake that had been ignored for longer than she thought was necessary.

"That doesn't mean she likes her," Tenten argued after her coughing died down and she was able to find the napkin.

"Hm, well your friend isn't bad looking, just so you know."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Then why don't you go be your perverse self around her instead of me?"

"I see someone turning a little greeeen."

"Shut up, more like I'm jealous that she doesn't have to go through what I have to with you."

"Well think of it this way," Temari said with a short laugh, "you don't have to go through what she goes through with Sakura."

"But that still doesn't answer my question!"

"What question?"

"Why me! Of all people, why must you pick on me? If it's out of convenience, then why not add to Ino's misery?"

"You're a good friend, aren't you?"

"I just want to know."

"Do you really now?"

"That's what I just said."

"Because," Temari said matter-of-factly, "you're too adorable when you blush. It seems I just can't resist you." _Damn right! That's half the reason anyway,_ Temari thought with a devilish grin as she remembered the other half of the reason. _Oh, I'll get you eventually. _

"Why are you smiling like that?" Tenten said, shifting further. "It's a wonder I didn't bolt the minute you came in. Now the idea just seems too tempting."

"Heh, if you run, I'll just have to drag you back."

"I'm on the track team you know."

"Well, I have a car."

Tenten raised an eyebrow. "You _drove_ that three blocks?"

"Was feelin' lazy," the sandy-blonde replied simply. She took another sip of her sake and pushed the other bottle towards Tenten with the back of her free hand. Tenten stared at it, uncertainty written all over her face. Just to be safe, she shuffled around the table so she sat directly across Temari before trying the drink. She tried her best to keep a steady hand so she wouldn't spill a single drop when she transferred the alcohol to a small cup. Picking it up, she tentatively tasted it with a slight reluctance when she noticed Temari's eyes on her. Tenten stared at the cup in her hand incredulously once the taste registered in her mind. To her surprise, there was very little burn and tasted more sweet, fruity even, than not.

"I-it's… not bad."

"Not bad? That's it? You look like you're about to have an orgasm with that look on your face."

"It's not _that_ good," the brunette said with a roll of her eyes, but added with a small smile, "Incorrigible."

"Mm, well you wouldn't have it any other way, now would you?"

By the time their food had come and gone, Tenten felt herself warm up to the other girl. Not wanting to admit the fact that she once again caught herself enjoying her company, she stubbornly blamed it on the alcohol. Conversation had been easy between them. Even though the brunette hadn't failed to miss the innuendo in some parts, she trusted Temari in not making anymore uncomfortable advances. Somehow, she found herself not doubting her word in the first place despite what happened earlier.

As they were waiting for the cheque, Tenten silently contemplated on whether or not to take up on Temari's offer. For the most part, the promise of not having to spend the night alone in a big house appealed to her. She knew that her mother had been working on a new case lately and had been spending extra time at the law firm every night. She was certain she'd be either spending time with her boyfriend or sleeping in her office, mostly the latter. Since it's been like this for a while, there was no reason to turn down the office. There was nothing worse than sleeping in a big house knowing it's dark and empty.

_I hope she remembers to use that blanket I bought her last time. She might get another cold, _Tenten thought, silently worrying for her mom. _Hell, I doubt it; she never remembers these little things. I don't know why I'm worrying about her. It really should be the other way around. _Suddenly, she snapped out of her thoughts, realising someone was talking to her.

"Sorry, what?" she mumbled, forgetting entirely who her companion was.

"I asked if you wanted ice-cream. There's a great little place 'bout five minutes away," Temari said, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. There wasn't anything more amusing than watching the little brunette struggle to grasp her surroundings after being roused from deep thoughts. _Wonder what she thinks about all the time. Hope they're cleaner than mine,_ she thought, resisting the urge to smirk.

"Isn't it a bit cold for ice-cream?"

"Nuh uh, that's the best time to have ice-cream, hun."

"Right."

"Well we're going anyway. They probably have some warmer stuff too if you're sense of adventure is too dull. But that'll give you time to make up your mind about the sleepover."

"Huh, didn't think you'd remember," I said, watching the waitress come around with the sparkling gold credit card and mints.

"Of course I would. How can I forget an offer like that? It's too good a chance to test my self-restraint to pass up." She turned around and retrieved everything on the change tray, tossing me a white-wrapper mint and tucking the card back into her wallet.

I popped the mint into my mouth, enjoying the somewhat useless mild mint taste. "So does that mean I'll be in potential danger?"

"Weeeell… no comment. Don't wanna sabotage this for myself," she laughed.

Following behind the taller girl, Tenten thought about the offer again. She was unprepared when Temari pushed opened the glass door, a gust of frosty November air greeting her unexpectedly. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself, not caring if it did nothing to protect her from the cold. Temari, who had been holding the door, reached around and held the smaller girl by the arm, pulling her closer.

"Warmer now?" She said with a grin that went unnoticed by Tenten. The other girl stiffened, but didn't say anything. Instead, she stuck out an elbow and dug it hard into the other girl's side. With a small yelp, Temari dropped her arm and jumped a fair distance from the brunette. But that wasn't enough to stop her.

She smirked and tried again as she retrieved her keys. After being shaken off again, she shrugged in temporary resignation before disarming the alarm for a metallic sapphire BMW M6 Cabriolet.

"I didn't know you had a car."

"There are a lot of things you don't know 'bout me, hun." Temari grinned, opening the door to the passenger side. Once Tenten got in--as reluctantly as she did--the sandy-blonde rounded the hood and slipped into the driver's side.

"I don't care much for cars, to be honest," Temari said, "I just love feeling the wind."

"So you bought an expensive car for that?" Tenten raised a brow.

"Well, this one's my most subtle one… And unlike Sakura, I don't like bikes too much. It's nice once in a while but cars are more fun."

"This is considered subtle to you…?"

"Well okay, I was just trying to show off. I have an old Jaguar too. That's my baby. I take it out sometimes for a drive, but I'm always too conscious with it. I also have a Lamborghini, it's a spyder. But it attracts too much attention, so I only take it out on certain events. I don't even know why I bought it. It just looked so cool..."

"Geez, too much money, huh?"

"A fair price to pay for a little taste of freedom. Tell you what, after we get ice-cream, I'll take you out on a drive. Then you'll know what I'm talking about."

"Uh, it's a bit cold for that, isn't it?"

"Ah, I guess you're right. But next time we go on a date, that's where we're going." Temari took her eyes off the road, just brief enough to flash Tenten a smile.

"Don't count on it," Tenten replied with a snort.

"Well I'll do just have to drag you out sometime."

The two arrived at the ice-cream parlour shortly. It was a small store with only one table against the window, lined with four stools on one side. The glass ice-cream case barred one end of the room from entering the area beyond where a door draped with blue beads was situated.

A girl with multi-coloured hair sat behind the cashier with a magazine, looking up only when the duo entered. At the sight of them, her face brightened with recognition. She stood up and placed the magazine on her chair before greeting them.

"Temari! About time I got to see your pretty face," she said, supporting her cheek with an elbow on the counter. A wide smile with a slightly seductive edge to it began to spread.

"It's been a while, Makoto," Temari replied with a small, polite smile. "I see you're the same as always."

"Well I see you've got a new girlfriend." She looked past Temari and winked at the startled brunette. "She's a bit different from the usual ones, though. Still cute though. Now when is it my turn, hmm?"

Temari chuckled. "Ask me again when your boyfriend isn't in the back of the room. And she's straight."

"Temari, every girl is straight before they meet you."

"Now what's that supposed to mean?"

"Means you need to stop moving humankind towards serious population decline. But anyway, what'll it be today?" Temari walked closer to the case and moved down in search of the flavour she suddenly found herself craving. Makoto followed suit on the other side with an ice-cream scoop in hand. Deciding the flavours for both her and Tenten, she turned to the brunette.

"Want anything in particular, Tenten?" She asked, just in case. Hearing the answer she was hoping for, she quickly ordered.

Tenten stared at the cone that had been handed to her with a double scoop of yellow and dotted green mystery. Taking a tentative lick at the yellow scoop which had been at the top, she raised a brow.

"How is it?" Temari said with a smirk.

"Weird. But in a good way," she replied, taking another lick. "By the way, what is it?"

Temari turned around and exchanged a look with the girl behind the counter. "Do you really wanna know?" Tenten froze and gave the dairy a suspecting look. She gave it another lick, deciding it was good and that was all that mattered.

Seeing this, Temari casually gave her own ice-cream a lick and said, "Its durian (3)."

"I thought it tasted a bit like it."

Temari cocked a brow and looked at Makoto, who returned her look with disbelief. She looked over at the ice-cream case to make sure the right flavour was given.

"What?" Tenten said, narrowing her eyes at the strange behaviour.

"Nothing," Makoto replied. "It's just that… every date that Temari brings here, she pulls the same trick. So far, they've all had the same response. And that was a demand for an exchange, or a wasted cone."

"What? It's pretty good though."

"That's what they say before they find out what it is."

"But ice cream is much different than the real thing…"

"As always," Temari said, "you're a weird one." Tenten simply shrugged before happily returning to the ice cream cone in hand. As they tried to finish the cones before returning to the car, Temari and Makoto chatted about nothing important as Tenten listened, but focused most of her attention on the frozen treat. Once they were almost through, Temari ushered the brunette outside, insisting on being able to finish before they reach the car.

The multi-colour-haired teen watched as the two exited the shop. They stood outside the glass door for a few minutes as Temari waited for Tenten to reach the bottom of the waffle cone. Makoto's interest was piqued immediately when Temari leaned forward and licked off the excess ice-cream that had found its way around Tenten's mouth instead of in it. The brunette gently pushed her away, and said something, glancing at Makoto as she did so, then turned back to Temari with a glare and stomped off towards the car.

_Geez Temari, just what did you get yourself into?_ The girl thought silently to herself with a knowing smirk touching her lips.

"To my house we go," Temari said cheerily as she stuck her key into the ignition. Tenten found the view outside more interesting to look at than the girl next to her. She couldn't help but continue to fume (more like sulk) about the ice cream incident not two minutes ago. After all, it was more than a little embarrassing to do something like that knowing there's an audience on the brunette's part. Temari might like the idea, but she sure as hell didn't want them to look like a loving couple.

"You know," Tenten said, her eyes now focused on the passing greenery as they drove onto the main road. "I didn't exactly say I wanted to go. It might be better to just drop me off at home."

"Nah, that's a waste of gas. You don't sound that reluctant anyway, so if it makes you feel any better just pretend I'm kidnapping you. Just don't sue me. I don't want anything to tarnish my record."

"What? Your records are clean," The brunette said, looking over at Temari in genuine awe.

"Of course!" Then she added with a sly smirk, "It gets wiped clean after you turn eighteen." Tenten blinked in confusion and looked as if she was analysing what she just said.

"But you're…"

"Ah, I consider it clean anyway," Temari added quickly. _Shit, almost gave myself away. If she knew, then I'd have a lot of explaining to do to a lot of troublesome people… namely Father, _she thought. She displayed a small smile to cover the anxiety as she waited for Tenten's answer. _Oh please buy it. It's not that bad of a lie…_

"You're turning eighteen soon… right?" Tenten drawled.

"Yeah, in August," Temari replied a little too quickly for her liking. _More like twenty…_

"Then you've got half a year to go," she smirked. "Aside from that, I'm older than you. Now that that's established, I want to see a little more respect from you." She turned and grinned at the taller girl triumphantly. "Meaning no more kidnapping and whatever bullshit you like to pull."

"How bout I just call you mistress instead?"

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I can probably dig out some toys for you if that's what you're looking at."

"You're disgusting."

* * *

1 For those who don't know, Ramune is a _really_ good Japanese fizzy drink which is basically slightly sweetened carbonated water (tastes like lemon to me). In Chinese it's literally called "marble soda" because instead of being sealed with a cap or something, it's an airtight marble tucked in at the top of the glass container. The only way to open it would be to push the marble into the bottle (And it's not that easy!). That's how it's supposed to be made anyway, because they do sell them in cans and whatnot now. And they have different flavours too!

2 Hahah, I love edamame… they're beans. It's a lot of fun eating them because you can't eat the shell. Well I guess you can…but I think it'd be a bit hard to digest.

3 For clarification, durian is a very foul-smelling fruit. I think it's a fruit. It grows on trees, so… The taste is actually not bad if you can get past the smell though. To be honest, I don't really think it smells bad. I don't understand it, but most people do. I think it's more of a strong smell than a bad smell. But as far as I know, it's not too popular with some Asians, let alone people with no Asian background. And yes, I've seen this flavour of ice-cream.


	10. A Whole New Taste of Taboo

**Alright guys, for those of you who are super quick, this message was not here. Well that's a pretty pointless statement but I forgot to slip in the A/Ns. That's because I'm half asleep and feeling like poo. Half asleep at 9PM. Bullshit, yes, but that's honestly how I feel right now xD Anyway enjoy.**

Chapter Ten: A Whole New Taste of Taboo

"Wake up," a seemingly faraway voice cooed soothingly. "C'mon wake up, sleepyhead."

Tenten slowly opened her eyes but immediately shut them when the unfamiliar light flooded in. Trying again, she managed to blink a few times before rubbing her eyes. The half-asleep brunette surveyed the dimly lit room with mild confusion. She gave a yawn and broke out into a cat-like stretch. When her hand unknowingly brushed against something soft and warm, she withdrew her hand as if whatever she touched was red-hot. Eyes following her outstretched arm, she jumped, now fully awake, as she saw a figure standing in front of her with her hand over her left breast. Shadows were cast over her eyes in an almost ominous way that brought back fuzzy memories of dinner at a restaurant but half an hour ago. To Tenten's horror, it dawned on her that that must've been the warm thing she felt.

Temari grasped the top of the car door and leaned down, looking at Tenten with camouflaged eyes and a snide smirk. "Good morning to you too, sunshine." Tenten whipped her head around to briefly survey her surroundings. It quickly became apparent that the only thing she could see past the faint glow of the overhead lamp was the stark walls with traces of occasional cobwebs. And waking up next to Temari in a dark room like this one, too pre-occupied with the panic inside her head to even try to remember where she was, the need to escape from the other girl had overshadowed all rational thought.

"Wh--eh," Tenten cringed when her voice came out in a squeak. Her wide chocolate eyes still fixated in the same caged animal impression. Clearing her throat, she continued, "W-where am I?"

"Jeez, aren't you the forgetful one. You're in a secret chamber somewhere in my house. I was just about to go into full-out bondage mode and amuse myself with this shelf of toys I have behind me. Yes. Okay you can stop looking at me like that now. Tenten I was _kidding_. You're in my garage now. But you fell asleep on the ride back even though it wasn't exactly a long one. You're staying the night, remember?"

"I don't remember…" She unconsciously relaxed her shoulders a little knowing she was temporarily safe. But that was only after she confirmed that there was, in face, no shelf of toys behind Temari, and it was only then that she dropped her panicked expression.

"Mmhmm."

"Wait, I didn't agree to this!"

Temari ducked into the car and grabbed Tenten by the hand. She ignored the brunette's protests and pulled her out of the car. Ignoring her still, she closed car door and dragged her into the house. Just as they were about to head through the door to her backyard, Tenten caught fleeting glimpses of the previously boasted Jaguar parked beside the BMW she was in. She thought for sure the taller girl was making things up just to impress her. Obviously, that was not the case.

Once outside, Tenten found herself in an even bigger state of awe. She followed Temari up the cobblestone path, oblivious to the fact they were holding hands. Her eyes were fixed on the beautiful greenery bordering the vast yard. Lush green grass took up half of the yard to the right of the path. The only things disturbing it were two picnic tables and a barbeque grill. A bed of pebbles separated the trees and the grass with a fair-sized shed parked on one end. On the other side of the path was a full-sized swimming pool, fenced along the path with glass half-walls. Behind the pool was a clear view of the recreation room attached to the building from with its transparent walls with its rounded edges and expensive-looking roofing.

The brunette did not fail to count the number of security cameras perched around the backyard. She could only wonder if Temari has ever felt like a prisoner; the same way she did right now as she was dragged across the yard.

Turning her head, Tenten could see the large patch of asphalt beside the garage. Parked on it were Kankurou's Jeep and a neat, deep green and very old-fashioned Mini. Laid out half on the grass and half on the ground diagonally was the promised Lamborghini.

Temari turned around and followed Tenten's gaze and stopped. "The Mini belongs to Grandmother. I tried to get her to buy one of those new BMW models, but she insists on keeping that old thing. She spends lots of money making it look all shiny and brand new, even more so than buying parts for it."

"I think it's kind of cute."

"I guess so. She loves it to death," Temari said with a small chuckle.

"Why is the Lamborghini parked like that?"

"Dunno. There wasn't room for it in the garage. Actually this was the only space I could fit it in without killing more plants than it already did. I was planning to trade it in and buy a new car though. Gaara suggested a cheap civilian car, like a Toyota or a Honda. Kankurou thought a little more high-class would be better suited, like a Porsche he said. Anything would be a bit more practical. Even a van our something. This thing takes up too much space, and it's been agreed that we all need a good car that can carry a lot of crap."

"Wow, I didn't think you'd actually think about practicality."

"I do!"

"Right."

"Alright you got me. Tell you the truth, my first choice was a full sized Hummer. The rest of the household unanimously disagreed though. Bad for the grass or something they said. Really, a little bit of tire marks shouldn't be enough to put 'em down."

* * *

Ino trudged down the empty streets, thinking of only the warm bed that awaited her at home. She had only absently made a small note of the dark evening sky. Winter was definitely approaching telling by the shortened daylight hours. This small fact made the blonde even more frustrated as it meant the due date for the student council's winter event was almost here. Already, she had spent the day at Hinata's with Hinata to make sure the idea she had in mind could be made possible.

The annoying buzz of the streetlights was enough to drive her insane, but the silence was making her paranoid. Either way, she was in a lose-lose situation and she was far from happy. She had spent a good period of time contemplating on whether she should call her overprotective father and pick her up instead of having to brace the streets. At first she had decided against it as it wasn't the first time she had walked home in the dark. But after a while, paranoia got the best of her and the call was made. Then the blonde just wasn't sure if fate loved or hated her. It was only after she had listened to the entire automated recording on the machine at home, had she remembered he was out on a date and had called her three hours earlier to tell her so. She thought about calling him on his cell phone, but decided it was best to not disturb another date.

The last time she called him to ask where dinner was, they were in the middle of something. And from the sounds she had heard, she was scarred for life and was thankful it was only over the phone. And that time, it wasn't even dark yet.

The President yawned and warily glanced at her silver wristwatch. As she continued on the path back home, her heartbeat quickened a little at the sight of a blurry silhouette heading in her direction. It was now that the blonde became even more acutely aware of the vast, empty darkness on this specific place. In her exhausted state of mind, she had instinctively followed a detour without noticing, and found herself in a back lane, surrounded by garage doors and the backs of houses, along with the occasional bushes of holly that grew in the wild. For some of these big houses, the space between the garage and the actual house was alarmingly wide. Therefore if she were to scream now, people may or may not hear it. And the scariest part was that she knew it. The thought was clear to her as her eyes focused on the figure ahead.

_Must be a man_, the blonde thought, noting the wide body. As she drew closer, she kept her gaze to the rough pavement. Closer and closer came the stranger, whose features now visible under the dim streetlamps. He was a man, alright, above average in height and weight. Ino assumed he was in his late twenties, but his five o'clock shadow made it hard to tell the difference. Once he passed by, she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, and walked a little faster.

Ino heaved a sigh and tried her best to calm herself down. It wasn't the first time walking in the dark, so why was she being so paranoid? She was safe now. Right?

At least, that thought remained until she heard the rapid slapping of cheap rubber against the sidewalk. The words "oh shit" ran repeatedly through her mind. Without turning around, the blonde started. She panicked, knowing her heels wouldn't be able to get her far. Still, her dragging pace picked up to a quick fast-walk, going as fast as her much cursed shoes would take her. _Note to self, _she thought with her eyes wide, _buy runners that match anything at all!_

Before she reached the end of the street, a powerful hand gripped her left shoulder and swung her around to face its owner. Ino found herself staring into the bloodshot sea-green eyes of the man she had passed earlier. She involuntarily made a high-pitched noise when he pulled out a worn-out hunting knife and held it to her throat. She moved as far away from it as she could, but her efforts were useless against a man twice her size.

"Money," he said hoarsely, jerking her arm roughly.

"I-I don't have any," Ino replied, trying to sound as confident as she could. The blonde thanked whichever merciful deities were left for the fact that she had left her purse at home.

Without a word, the attacker pulled on her arm again, this time holding it up above her head. The silver watch on her wrist glinted under the light. The blonde's eyes instantly grew wide. She automatically began cursing those same deities.

"No! You can't! It's not mine! I-It's my mom's! Please!" But her cries were unheard.

He tugged roughly at the accessory, not caring at all for the buckle. The hard surface dug into Ino's wrist, but she was much too angry to care. "I said no!" she screamed as she pulled her arm back with as much force she could muster. Out of desperation, her leg flew out, aimed right at the weak spot between his legs.

But he was faster as he had predicted such a move and grabbed her by the ankle. Losing her balance, Ino felt herself being spun around so she had her back to him. With the attacker's weapon poised at her throat and his grimy hand over her mouth, she could do nothing but run wild inside her frenzied mind. She felt herself want to cry when she felt her watch being wrenched away

Suddenly, the captor released his grasp on her and cried out. Ino turned around and gasped, she was just in time to see the knife leave a large gash along her savior's upper arm. Two large textbooks lay guilty beside to the motionless body. _Oh my god_, the blonde thought, her head spinning in circles. As much she hoped this would end up to be a bad dream, she knew it wasn't and there was no use pretending. But she hoped for it nonetheless. Her gaze was still fixed on the body, with the textbooks beside it and the bloody knife a little ways away.

Ino found her eyes straying to a small puddle of blood beside the sneakers of her savior. Following it, the blonde thought she was going to faint at the sight of blood teeming from the hand-covered wound.

"C-call 911!" she cried hysterically as she fumbled for her phone. It slipped between Ino's nervous fingertips as she pulled it out of the pocket of her trench. It fell and skidded by her attackers head. She let out a squeak and felt her legs gave way, inching backwards as fast as she could she upon seeing the body at a new angle.

"Don't worry, he's not dead. And I'm fine." Ino looked up at the familiar voice and felt her stomach do an uncontrollable three-sixty. An invisible hand gripped tightly at her bursting heart. Deep inside her mind, she was all too aware this sudden spark attraction to her savior.

"I-I'll call Shikamaru and get him to come pick us up. I think he lives in this general area," the council president said as evenly as she could. However, despite her best efforts, she still had trouble grasping her cell phone. _I can think of a hundred reasons why I should hate you! Stop staring at me, I can feel it! Oh but when did you get so _hot_? And why haven't I noticed you before?_

"Do whatever you want," came the nonchalant, but slightly pained, reply.

_Oh god, this isn't going to end well, is it?_

* * *

"Are you done, Tenten?" Temari said for what must've been the hundredth time that night. She threw the third magazine she had found on the floor and sat up on the sofa in her room. "You've been doing that for an hour now, I'm bored out of my mind!" The taller girl got up and moved to her desk where Tenten sat slaving over the same English homework she had been working on in the restaurant. She crouched down and rested her arm and cheek on the wooden surface, giving her a close-up view of the mechanical pencil in the brunette's hand.

Tenten looked down at the alleged delinquent irritably. Temari returned her look with an innocent one, her cheek resting on her upper arm to give her an added puppy-dog effect. "Stop that. It's your fault I didn't get any of this done during dinner," Tenten said, throwing down her pencil.

"Who knows how long you would've been stuck there then if I hadn't been your knight in shining armour," Temari replied, straightening up with a triumphant smirk.

"Don't lie to yourself. You're more of the witch in Hansel and Gretel than anything."

"Care for some sugar, darling?" The blonde said playfully, moving closer with puckered lips.

"No. Go bake cookies if you've got so much," Tenten replied, trying to suppress a laugh as she pushed the taller girl's face away. "Anyway, I'm almost done, so leave me alone."

"Eh, fine. I'll go downstairs and check what Grandmother has for us. I heard her in the kitchen so I'm feelin' lucky."

Once the annoying blonde left, Tenten turned back to her paper and tried to focus on the assignment. Temari had interrupted her while her train of thought had been going at full throttle, but she was confident in finishing it within the next thirty minutes.

Nearly forty-five minutes later, the brunette finally put the utensil back in its home inside the Wonder Woman pencil holder and stretched. She glanced at the clock: just a little past ten. She took off her glasses and closed her eyes, leaning back in the computer chair to let them rest. When she opened her eyes a few seconds later, Temari materialised beside her with two dessert cups in hand.

"Panna Cotta (1) -- nice and simple," she said, handing Tenten a cup. "Grandmother made it just for you, so you better eat it, alright?"

Tenten briefly examined the cold dessert before taking a small spoon from Temari. "I don't think I've ever had this before."

"Really now… Don't get out enough?"

"I'm just not big on desserts."

"Oh yeah, forgot you're not a big fan of sugar," Temari said with a chuckle.

"Anyway…," Tenten murmured, trying to change the subject. _Oh this is really good…_ the thought causing her to pause and savour the taste of the dessert melting in her mouth. "How are the two of you lately?" she continued somewhat absently as she poked into a piece of kiwi. "Have you finally decided to leave us alone now?"

"Hahah, I'm certainly not doing that now, am I? Although I can't say the same for Sakura. Well, honestly I'm not sure. But I doubt she's done with you two yet. She's just been busy preparing for shit as usual, and she said something about a job."

"Tell me," Tenten said, looking straight into the other girl's eyes. "You've got a whole fan club willing to fall to their knees for you, and you choose to mess with the ones who hate you most over a stupid little incident. I just don't get it. What do you two want from us?"

"Didn't I tell you already? Back at the restaurant? I don't know what goes through Sakura's head, so I'm just following along."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just do. Besides, it's fun."

"Okay, then tell me why she started this whole thing with that kiss in the hallway."

Temari's spoon stilled before entering her open mouth, the sudden inquiry catching her off-guard. She closed it stiffly and briefly shut her eyes. Tenten watched her curiously and wondered if she had pushed one button too many. _If I tell her, I'll never get my way with her_. Finally, she simply smiled and said, "No reason. We were just having fun." _At least that's partly true so I can't say I'm lying to her. _

"Huh. Whatever then. But I'm not going to stop bothering you about it," Tenten said letting the subject drop knowing she won't be getting any more answers. "By the way, what'll the sleeping arrangements be tonight?"

Temari raised a brow. "Anything works for me." She leaned in closer and whispered, "If I don't make you nervous, we can share a bed. I'll let you lay out the rules."

Tenten spun around in her chair with the back of it now facing the sandy-blonde. "As if someone like you can intimidate me. But still, I hate your kind so I'll take the sofa."

"But I'm waaaarm," the taller girl playfully whined, resting her arms on the back of the chair.

Before Tenten could protest, her ringtone went off, muffled against her jeans. The brunette hastily pulled it out and, seeing Ino's name appear on the screen, quickly flipped it open.

"Hello?" she greeted, quickly gesturing Temari to be quiet knowing things could be bad if the sunny-blonde found out where she was.

"A-ah… Tenten…" came the weak reply.

Sensing something in her friend's tone, Tenten immediately asked what was wrong. Ino hesitated, wondering if it was such a good idea to call Tenten in the first place.

"Um," she said after a stretch of silence. "I'm at the hospital right now. So…"

"You want me to come get you?"

"Uh, no, not really. I know you don't have a car, so that's not the real reason… I do think you should come down here though. As fast as you possibly can anyway."

"Alright, but promise you'll tell me everything as soon as I get there. I'll be there soon--I'll just get a ride. "

"Yeah…"

Tenten turned to Temari who, having heard only part of the conversation, merely nodded. The brunette wasn't sure bringing Temari would be such a good idea, but seeing as it was an emergency, and she had no other way of quick transport, it was the only option. _If anyone asks, I'll say it was a coincidence…_

* * *

"Is she coming?" a voice called out warily as Ino stepped into the depressingly grey hospital room.

"Yes."

"Great. Why did you tell her?"

"She needs to know about this."

"Why? It doesn't make a difference. Even if I died."

"Don't say that. I get the feeling she still loves you."

"Just shut up. You're really annoying."

"Neji…"

"Just leave."He averted his eyes to avoid looking into Ino's sympathetic blue ones. _This is bullshit_, he thought angrily after the blonde had left. He had never intended to save her in the first place, but when he saw the attacker, it was an immediate reaction. After the incident, there was no doubt that Ino's usual cold demeanour, reserved for only him after his breakup with Tenten, had melted into something else. The last thing he wanted now was to have his ex-girlfriend come in and see him like this. With the bandages around his arm, he felt vulnerable. And the last thing he needed was a cold gaze or a sorry shake of the head from the one he loved most.

_She was a nag…but she used to be so perky and happy. I hate myself for turning her into what she is now. _It was a thought he could never voice, but he couldn't help but think that if he did, things would be a lot different. He thought back to the days she had gone out of her way to get his attention. Truthfully, he had noticed her before with her personality so unlike his. She was healthy, young, and would do everything in her power to help those in need, even if it was a stranger. He had seen her countless times at school functions, tutoring at the library, making her rounds through the different cliques at school, or even by herself. She was a bouncing bundle of energy that was impossible to be disliked. Even now it was the same, though in a different sense. Now her studies were top priority, yet she would always have time for others. The walls rose. She demanded respect and she got nothing less than that. The routines were more or less the same but less frequent and with her new responsibilities at the Vice President, he could see she was more worn out than she had ever been before.

And these new responsibilities were one of the many things that tore the two apart. If he didn't expect so much from her, if he simply ignored his father's words, if he wasn't so stupid, if he hadn't said what he did, they would've been together forever--just like what the student body had expected. Maybe then she wouldn't have to live like the robot she was now and go back to really living her life.

Outside, Ino sat in the waiting area, fidgety and restless. She knew what she felt for Neji the moment she looked into his eyes after he saved her was something different. It was a horrible feeling. It wasn't love. No, she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it if it was. It was lust that appealed to her when she noticed, for the first time, his strong physique and mysteriously blank eyes. And that made things all the worse. She wanted him so much after seeing him in the light. Maybe it was because he saved her life that she needed to be engulfed in the safety of his strong arms. She wouldn't doubt that safety was exactly what she needed after that horrific incident.

It was because of all this, she barely even noticed the watch that had fallen to the pavement afterward. The blonde stared at the lines across the surface. She hated the fact that it was still Neji that dominated her conscious thought when she very nearly broke and/or lost her mother's watch. It was one of the few things she left for her before her death and instead of worrying about it she was too preoccupied with her best friend's ex-boyfriend.

_Hey why not? I haven't had a boyfriend since the day Tenten got jumped. I'm sure it'd be fine if it's kept in secret… And he's single. Just once will be enough. Besides, I did the right thing in calling her. So I deserve a little reward. Right now I just have to calm down._

Some time later, Tenten burst through the doors, heading right to the reception desk with Temari jogging up behind her. However, she was quickly stopped by a familiar blonde, who had been waiting for her. Before anyone said anything, Ino gave Temari an incredulous look. Tenten bit her lip and hoped she wouldn't ask.

"You better explain yourself later," Ino simply said and headed for Neji's room with Tenten and Temari close behind. No one said a word.

Ino motioned for Tenten to go inside, but stopped Temari, giving her a pointed look. Temari shrugged and took a seat outside the room. The door was then closed, but not before Temari managed to give the victim inside the room a smug grin.

* * *

Once inside, Tenten froze. She wasn't sure what to do, or why she was even here in the first place. Her first instinct was to run to Neji's side and worry, but she knew better. She had spent months telling herself she didn't love him and that the feeling was mutual, but seeing him like this, with his eyes cast aside in an almost invisible state of embarrassment, she felt her resolve dissipate.

"What happened to you?" Tenten asked without enthusiasm, walking over to the foot of the bed.

"Nothing," he replied with a matching tone.

"That's how everything ends, isn't it?" came the sarcastic retort.

"Why is that bitch here?"

"Excuse me, as I recall, she's never even talked to you before, so lay off, alright?"

"I know what she did to you at school."

"It's got nothing to do with you."

"It's got everything to do with me!" Neji said, his voice rising with his anger. Then he fell back into the pillow and stared at the glass of water by his bedside. "Tenten," he whispered without looking at her, "I…think you deserve someone who really loves you, and not just someone who repeatedly tries to get in your pants."

"I think you're the last person who should be telling me that. And I really don't believe I have to explain myself to you."

Too ashamed and frustrated to be having this conversation, the quiet boy did not reply. It wasn't unexpected of him, but he tried over and over to think of something to say. Despite what he said to Ino, he didn't want Tenten to leave. And maybe he was hallucinating, or just too hopeful, but there was still a spark of concern in her eyes.

"I… really loved you, Neji. I just thought you should know," the brunette murmured suddenly, staring at her shoes. If it caught him off-guard, he didn't show it. Summoning up her courage, she raised her head and stared at him. "Look at me, Neji." He slowly averted his gaze and complied. "We can never be together again--you and I both know that. But tell me this so I can relax a little: did you ever love me? At all?"

"Yes," he replied without hesitation, holding her eyes with his own. "I did, more than anything. And I stil do l… But--"

"I know. Duty and family is always top priority. I've heard it a million times. Look, let's just forget all this. I rushed over here thinking it was Ino who was in trouble. So let's put it behind us now. Get well soon and see you at school."

Getting no further response from Neji, she didn't say anything more and exited the room. It was true that both of them still felt a small hint of attraction towards the other, but Tenten knew that the only option was to move on as they were simply ill-suited for each other. She needed the love and devotion Neji would never be able to give. She needed to know she could be put above everything else. It was a selfish thought in the brunette's eyes, leading her to think love was impossible for her. At least not at the moment. When she learns to mature into something bigger and better, that was when things like relationships could really happen to her.

Outside, she found Ino and Temari on the chairs outside the room, sitting awkwardly a seat away from the other. "Um, should we go home?" Tenten said to neither one in particular, simply trying to break through the tense atmosphere.

"Do you want me to drive you?" Temari asked Ino.

"That would be nice. Thank you."

* * *

After Ino was dropped off at her house, Temari turned to Tenten. The smaller girl hadn't said anything through the entire ride and was seemingly in deep thought. She tried to get her attention by calling her name a few times, but to no avail. When she touched her shoulder, Tenten jumped and looked at her with a deer-in-the-headlights look.

"Are you okay?" Temari asked gently. "Do you want to go home?"

"I… uh… I don't…"

"Alright, I'm just gonna kidnap you again then," the blonde replied with a smile. Tenten returned it once the other girl turned her attention back to the empty streets, secretly thankful for Temari being able to deduce her message so she wouldn't have to say it out loud. After the conversation with Neji, she felt too small to be left alone in a dark empty house.

"You don't, uh, happen to have any more of those…dessert things do you?"

Her companion laughed, but kept her eyes on the road, and replied, "I'll get off my ass and make you a soufflé if it makes you happy."

"Liar."

"I could, you know."

"Then do it."

"Sure. Small price to pay to see you smile again," she said with a grin. "I can do cheese, chocolate, and ice cream--take your pick."

"Chocolate," Tenten replied, playing along.

"That's not too bad. Hm, if I remember correctly it should only take 20 minutes. Think you can hold out that long?"

"Wait," the brunette stared at the other girl in shock, "you're serious."

Temari frowned. "Of course I am."

"You in the kitchen… that's something worth seeing."

"If you want I can wear nothing but an apron for your viewing pleasure."

"No way. Sicko."

* * *

"Alright, I'm gonna go and make that soufflé of yours so you can go ahead and go watch TV with Kankurou downstairs or something." Temari went straight to taking out the supplies needed for the dessert, leaving Tenten feeling a little confused as she stood in front of the back door.

"Uh, sure. You know you really don't have to."

"It's fine. Just be careful when you get down there, you might have to step over a few heaps of junk."

After a little bit of exploring, Tenten finally found a dimly lit stairwell that led down to the bottom floor. Once downstairs, the first thing she noticed was the short hallway. Standing by the stairs, she saw the edge of a pool table at the far end of the hall way. Sounds poured from that room that sounded like gunshots and cars, as well as screaming here and there. _Kankurou must be in there. _Taking a step further, she tripped, but caught herself just in time, resulting in a loud _clang!_ Despite the noises coming from the TV, Kankurou appeared at the end of the hall seconds later, an amused look on his face.

"Oh, I didn't know you were here," he said with a friendly smile. "Sorry, Nee-san isn't the most organized person in this household." Tenten turned around to see a few empty paint buckets scattered on the polished floors.

"In case you're wondering, she's redecorating that room," he nodded to the closed door beside the fallen buckets, "thinks it'll help her think of some inspirations and whatnot, but she's just killing time. At least she knows what she's doing. I'd show you around it, but she's a bit…uh… protective, I suppose, of her studio. Sakura is probably the only one outside of family who's been in there. But only because they work together. That's what she tells us anyway. God knows what those two do in there." He ended with a wink.

"Spare me. Please."

Kankurou chuckled and motioned her into the room behind him. She took a seat beside him on a soft plush couch in front of a massive television screen, just in time to watch what must've been a civilian get run over by a car, followed by blood spray, screaming onlookers and police sirens. Tenten couldn't help but cringe a little seeing the graphic details of the body a few seconds later.

"We don't have to watch this if it bothers you," Kankurou said with a smile.

"No, it's fine. Just caught me off-guard, that's all. By the way, this may be a bit out of the blue, but does Temari cook often?"

"She's learned a few recipes. She likes art, remember? Anything that she considers art, she will go out of her way to try. Fine dining happened to be one of them and, y'know. The only thing she really mastered is the soufflés though. They are to _die_ for. You should've seen her cakes. It looked bad enough to haunt you in your sleep--the only things worse than their looks are its smell and taste."

"Isn't that a bit…much?" Tenten said with a raised brow.

"Trust me--that's putting it nicely."

The two brunettes sat and simply talked through the topics, neither paying attention to the moving pictures on the screen ahead. With Kankurou's sometimes questionable humour and Tenten's more logical insights, they lost track of time. Though they had never exchanged any words at school, Kankurou had the same charm Temari had, making it easy for Tenten to relax and enjoy herself.

"I really think they should make a pudding Pocky. Y'know, instead of just buffing the strawberries and chocolates, why not do something spontaneous? Like pudding. I love pudding." Kankurou mused.

"They do have pudding. Cheesecake too. So you really can't say they're not spontaneous enough."

"Really? I'll have to go take a look around myself eh? By the way, what's up with the Men's Pocky? It tastes just like dark chocolate, yet they've got that in a separate thing."

"No clue. I never really thought about it. Maybe they forgot they already made the same thing years ago."

"What are you guys talking about?" A new voice suddenly appeared above Tenten. Being so into the conversation, Tenten jumped a little at the sudden interference. Kankurou looked up as if he was used to it.

"Nothing special. Something smells good though," Kankurou said with a grin. "Could it be, Temari, that you finally decided to get off your ass and make your little brother something special and full of _looove_?"

"If you want to know the truth, I used whatever I had left of making Tenten's soufflé and made yours." Temari pointed at the smaller cup and proved her point. "We only had enough ingredients for this much."

"And why, pray tell, must I have the dinky one? I'm a man, Temari! A man!" Kankurou cried as he made a show of thrashing around on the couch.

"Yeah well, I don't like men, remember?"

"Dammit." He pouted but obediently took the smaller cup from the tray in Temari's hands. Temari took the other cup and slipped it into the hands of a very reluctant Tenten. She then handed her the spoon and leaned down, unexpectedly landing a soft kiss on the cheek before disappearing through the hall. Tenten looked over at Kankurou, who just smiled back.

"You two aren't going out, are you?" he said. It wasn't a question, but more of a knowing statement. "That's my sister, always jumping ahead of herself. She's not a bad person though. Sometimes she treats people like shit, yes. Like that annoying doppelganger at school. Though I will warn ya that she's a bit hard to read when it comes to figuring out what she wants from you. Could be love, could be lust but telling from the other girls, she's not bad in either department."

Tenten scoffed. "Don't worry I don't think I'll be giving in to either of them. I don't like girls that way."

"Yeah? Then how'd you end up over here? Don't tell me Gaara invited you because he's gayer than Temari when he needs to be."

"I don't know. I got kidnapped."

"No one home, eh?"

"That too."

"Ah, I know how that is. Our parents were rarely around back in Suna. They're the type of people who are so busy, even their free time needs to be scheduled so they don't forget. Trust me, it's much nicer being with Grandmother here. And with her here, we don't have to endure Temari's terrible cooking."

A while later, Temari reappeared, taking a seat next to Tenten with a tray of beverages. Tenten made sure they weren't spiked before taking one. The rest of the evening was spent with a movie, which took a good ten minutes our so with Temari and Kankurou's debate on which genre, then another ten for the specific one.

"We are not watching a lesbian erotica!" was Kankurou's argument in trying to avoid an extremely tense evening. Tenten couldn't say how thankful she was that Kankurou was here. Unfortunately, Kankurou wanted something bloody, which was something Tenten wasn't sure she would be able to stomach. Finally, they decided on a comedy, just because it was a category everyone could be able to stand.

Throughout the entire movie, Tenten was relieved to find that Temari's attention was focused entirely on the screen and didn't make any advances that would put her in an awkward situation.

When the credits started, Kankurou got up went to bed, saying he had a date early next morning. It was only when Tenten and Temari were heading up the stairs to Temari's room, did the brunette became aware that the sleeping arrangements still hadn't been decided. It was then that she became slightly worried for herself knowing it would only be the two of them in that room. _Just what the hell compelled me to stay over with _her_? _

"You've got two choices. Obviously there is the bed, and then there's the couch. Either works for me so take your pick," Temari said, throwing some of the stuff on her bed onto the floor. The other girl had expected her to suggest a shared bed, but somehow wasn't too surprised when she didn't.

"I can take the couch."

"If that makes you happy," she shrugged.

_You've gotta stop saying things like that that_, Tenten thought irritably.

* * *

**1** I believe you should know this if you've ever played Cooking Mama or like desserts. It's Italian. Just Google it? Telling from the ones my mom made, they're pretty good XD Just a fun Wiki fact, Panna Cotta literally means "cooked cream" in Italian. Hahah… I was probably better off not knowing.

NOTE: I made a mistake in the last chapter. Temari's birthday is in August, hence she is already twenty. Just a heads-up.

**A/N: All I have to say is...please don't kill me. I didn't want this to happen either! And do me a favour and take a look at my poll so I can get started on the next project. I'll be closing it...whenever I feel like it so yeah. It would help me a great deal so thank you :D**


	11. Calm Before The Storm

Chapter 11: Calm Before The Storm

"_Hey honey, I've got a new game we should try," Temari cooed into a half listening brunette's ear. She wrapped her arms around her neck from behind and rested her head on the crook of her neck. Temari reached down and eased the pencil out of her companion's hand__ without the difficulty she had expected from her. Happy at how far their relationship had progress, she couldn't help but smile. _

"_Temari, you know I'm already behind," she paused and sighed when Temari turned and looked __at her with her best puppy eyes. Just how could she resist her when nearly ever __fibre__ of her being wanted to be with the arrogant seductress as much as possible? "Okay fine, I'll take a short break. One round of whatever you're planning and that's it." What's the point of keeping that strong front now?_

"_It's up to you, love, though personally I don't think one round would be enough for you," Temari chuckled, earning her a raised brow from the brunette. Temari grinned and took her by both hands, guiding her to the bed. She sat down and pulled her into her lap facing her. _

"_This isn't one of your stupid sex games are they? Because if they are…"__ she started with obvious uncertainty after Temari gave her a small nip on the neck. _

"_Oh please, Tenten, you know you love those. But this one is different. It's called Bedroom Golf. Trust me, it's not stupid."_

_Tenten stared at her in disbelief. "You want to play golf? In here? Are you kidding me? Look at all the breakables in this room!" _

"_Now, now, keep your panties on. I'll take them off myself later." Tenten rolled her eyes, but couldn't suppress a blush. "First of all, the rules are a bit different in this particular game. Number one, players must play in their birthday suit." Before Tenten could react, Temari flipped her over onto the bed, straddling her waist. Even quicker, the first two buttons of the brunette's dress shirt came undone. _

"_Hold on, did you make that up?" Tenten said with a critical look__ after a short giggle fit. She momentarily stilled the older girl's hand, yet showed no indication of stopping her._

"_O__f course not, it's in the rules--the unwritten ones." She grinned lecherously when all the buttons flew free. Tenten flushed crimson as she watched Temari eye her body, seeming to be trying to analyze every__ dip and curve of it. _

"_You didn't wear a bra," Temari said matter-of-factly. She bent over and nuzzled against the spot in question. _

"_W-well I was planning on going to bed a-after I finished," Tenten replied. She made an attempt to push her head away, but was forced gave up when something wet and warm slid down the valley between her breasts. "This _is _one of your stupid sex games isn't it?"_

"_Like I said, it's a little different. Now, I'm the player and the course is yours, got it?" Temari explained, accompanied by a wide grin and a waggle of the eyebrows. _

"_Oh god…I don't like the sound of that."_

"_So," Temari said, ignoring Tenten, "the goal of the game is to get the club in the hole and keep the balls out, but seeing as we have no balls to play with, it's okay. As the player, I need to do it as many times as needed until the owner is satisfied."_

"_Wait, wait. Where exactly is the hole?"_

"_Oh, Tenten, what am I to do with you? You're so adorable… I'll tell you. There's a maximum of three on each course, depending on how much the owner of the course is letting you play on. The first one is here…" Temari trailed off as she moved up to plant a gentle kiss on her lover's lips. She then shuffled down and positioned herself between her legs. With a quick pull on her pyjama bottom and panty, Tenten was stark naked save the open dress shirt. She flushed an even deeper shade of red. Temari smirked and leaned down. The feeling of the other's heat against her cheek struck a deep chord inside her, igniting her libido. "And the other two is…" She inched out her tongue and, with a gentle flick over the pink nub, triggered a deep moan from the other girl._

"_As for the equipment, I bought something very special." She straightened up again and reached for the zipper of her pants. _

_Ah….Aah…Aaaah…Aaaaah! _**Rock! That body body, move your ass over! Slap! That naughty body! Move your ass over here now!**

Temari groaned when her entire dream shattered in an instant. She squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to open them in attempt to go back to sleep. Once the device quieted down, she relaxed a little. She was so close to being able to grasp the images of the naked brunette. But when her phone went off again next to her left ear, she wanted nothing more than to scream. The vivid images in her mind began to slowly fade until only parts of her fantasy remained clear. That did more than infuriate the frustrated blonde.

_Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck you, Haruno! _Temari cursed and threw her pillow over her head in attempt to drown out the annoying ringtone for Sakura when it started for the third time. A long string of curses were muttered into her pillow as she thrashed immaturely on the bed. _That's the farthest I've gone in that dream and you have to ruin it for me! Motherfuckin'… It's Saturday morning!_

The phone quieted down, calming the distressed girl for a while, only to start up again thirty seconds later. _I hate you Haruno…! Hate you!_ She reached across the other pillow with the intent of it off. But instead of feeling the cool, flat metallic cover of her phone, her hand found itself on something warm and uneven.

"Nngh…ow," A sleepy voice muttered from beside her. Something flew up and knocked her arm away. The weight shifted on one side of the bed, causing the sandy-blonde's heart to momentarily stop beating. She quickly sat up and threw the pillow to the foot of the bed, feeling the blood rush to her head in a temporary headache. Opening her eyes once her blood had receded, she saw a familiar feminine form with her back to her. With her chocolate brown hair cascading gracefully down to her shoulder and splayed out across the bed, Temari had to really think back to the events of the previous night as to not get it mixed up with her dream. _Tenten? I thought she on the couch. How the hell did she wind up over here?_ Temari thought. She let her eyes wander over the sleeping form, silently wondering if she was still sleeping.

Then she noticed the other girl's bare shoulder, the only part of her body not obscured by the blankets. The first thought that entered her head caused Temari to jump backwards in alarm. With a loud clang, her head collided with the reading lamp on the wall.

Tenten groaned and flipped back to her original position. Her head shifted to face Temari, but she did not open her eyes. Instead, she reached up and absently rubbed it as she mumbled something incoherent. The only word Temari was able to decipher was the word "loud". She looked so innocent and unlike the cold Tenten Temari was used to seeing.

The brunette had flung her arm out of the comfort of the blankets haphazardly, giving Temari a partial view of what she could now make out as a spaghetti-strap. Though, adding to the sandy-blonde's frustration, the thin strap had fallen from her shoulder with that sudden movement. Tenten groaned again, shifting her body in the process. She moved her arm up and bent it so it rested over her head, now giving the other girl a clearer view. Temari could make out the delicate curve of her breast and the smooth dip of her collarbone.

Temari froze. More than anything, she wished she could touch her right now just because she could. It was an unexplained feeling that Temari had never experienced with other girls. She took it to be the pure lust she always thought she felt around her. Because this was definitely not the first time she was caught in a situation like this, she couldn't see why this girl was so different. _Don't jump her, Temari, don't do it!_ She repeated in her head as she involuntarily probed the other girl with her eyes. But as she did, another thought appeared in her head. _Why does she never show it? I don't even think she knows how beautiful she really is._ Then something else dawned on her. _Neji never told her, did he? The bastard, he would never say something like that. If I was in his place, I'd try to tell her every moment I can. _

Temari blinked. She had never imagined herself with the brunette before. It was kind of strange. That was what she had been aiming for though, wasn't it? She knew her type, as long as she thinks you love her, a fuck or two wouldn't be a problem. That's what she had been aiming for.

The phone went off again, pulling Temari out of her confused state. She shook her head and cleared her mind. It was just her fantasy speaking again. Grumbling, she reached over and retrieved it, purposely brushing the back of her hand across Tenten's cheek as she did so. _Well that's as far as that goes._ She was about to press the call button to when Tenten stirred again. This time, she steadily opened her eyes. At first she stared and saw only a picture of Temari with an object in her hand. She stared, but did not register anything in her mind. Neither made a move. Temari could only look at her and wonder what her reaction would be.

The voice of Tsuchiya Anna drowned out again in Temari's hand.

"Te…Temari…?" Tenten finally said with a faraway look. Suddenly, she sprang up and fell backwards off the bed, bringing the blankets with her in a tangled mess. Temari blinked again.

"Good morning, adorable," she grinned.

"W-what the…where…? Did we…?" she went on, not making any sense at all with her accompanying hand motions. She looked down and peeked under the blankets. A sigh of relief did not fail to escape Temari's ears. At that, she couldn't help but smirk.

"Guess I'm lucky I don't sleep naked," she teased.

The phone vibrated again. This time Temari reacted, not wanting to hear the same song again. "Mo--"

"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR! IT'S GODDAMN COLD OUT HERE YOU LAZY SON OF A BITCH!" Temari flinched at the unexpected volume of her friend's reply and instinctively moved her phone away from her ear. The blonde hung up at once and groaned.

Turning to Tenten, she said, "As much you'd like for something to have happened last night, we didn't do anything. As far as I knew, I was sleeping on the bed and you on the couch. So maybe you crawled in after going to the washroom or something. Anyway, Sakura's at the door. If you wanna hide and slip out later, you can do that." Tenten didn't say anything, still in her nest of blankets. The brunette was much too embarrassed to reply after knowing what she had done. She watched as Temari got up, jump off the end of the bed, and exit through the door, followed by heavy footsteps down the stairs.

"Haruno, what the _hell_ is wrong with you?" Temari growled after flinging the door open.

"Jeez, someone needs to get laid," the other girl replied as she kicked her shoes off. "Would it kill you to answer the phone once in a while? It's like fucking two degrees outside! Celsius!"

"It's Saturday. Ever heard of the term 'sleeping in'? God this better be important because you interrupted a _very_ sexy dream."

"You mean that golf one? I should've never shown you that site."

"I was almost there, Sakura!"

"Well that's something worth celebrating for," Haruno said dispassionately with a roll of her eyes. "Actually, there is something important I want to tell you. Good news on top of that."

"Okay, go."

"Feed me first." Temari glared at her smirking friend. _Why do I put up with her?_

"Yeah, okay. Wait for me in the kitchen, I need to change."

"Suit yourself. I don't see why though, I've seen you naked before… Oh I get it! Very sexy dream, right?" She smirked, earning a glare from the sandy-blonde.

"Why don't you just go and raid the fridge? You know, amuse yourself," she replied dismissively.

Haruno shrugged, but didn't say anything more. Temari crept upstairs and opened her bedroom door, hoping to catch a glimpse of something _special_ to brighten up her day. To her dismay, however, Tenten was fully dressed and had decided to amuse herself on the swivel chair.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Temari said casually, closing door with her weight.

"Um, no. I think I'll just head home now," Tenten replied, getting up. "Think I can leave without being seen? It might be a bit troublesome if Haruno sees me."

"Sure, if you can move fast enough."

Temari reached out and grabbed the brunette by the wrist with a small smile, holding her gently but firmly. When she didn't resist, she pulled her out of the swivel chair and out the door, shifting her hand to grasp Tenten's. From the stairwell, Temari could see Haruno in the kitchen in front of the refrigerator. She held a carton of orange juice in one hand and a jug of milk in the other, alternating on putting one or the other back into the fridge in tiresome indecisiveness. Taking this opportunity, the sandy-blonde hurried down the stairs and padded across the marble flooring as quietly as possible with her companion in tow.

"That was easier than I thought," Temari murmured as she ushered Tenten out the door with her shoes.

"Never took her as the indecisive type though. It's kinda cute," the brunette admitted with a small smirk.

Temari frowned. "Yeah well, she's full of surprises," she huffed. _So she's more your style, eh?_

"Temari, who the hell are you talking to?" a voice called from the kitchen, followed by the sound of footsteps. Temari stiffened, mumbled a quick goodbye, and slammed the door shut. She couldn't explain why, but the thought of Haruno knowing about her little adventure with Tenten bothered her as well. Even though she was pretty sure her reason was different from Tenten's, who Temari assumes is just paranoid of being bullied even more. However, Temari felt a little protective of her when she thought of how the sadist would torture her if she knew. _Stupid Haruno might take her for herself just to piss me off, knowing I'd be the only person among the four of us who'd mind. Ino would be jumping for joy to know Sakura would finally leave her alone, _Temari thought with a scowl.

"Oi," Sakura called. She snapped her fingers in front of the older girl's face to get her attention.

"What?" She almost barked in reply.

"Woah, calm down, man. I'm sorry I ruined your fantasy," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Now what are you doing out here?"

"Getting the mail, asshole," she replied, picking up the letters resting under the mail slot to prove her point.

"Uh huh."

After fixing up a simple breakfast of toast and eggs, the duo headed upstairs to Temari's room on the promise of very good news from the pink-haired girl. Truthfully, Temari didn't care much and was too busy being paranoid of leaving any sort of evidence that Tenten had stayed over the night before. She still wasn't too sure of how the current object of her interest had wound up in her bed. And there was no doubt in Temari's mind that Sakura was one of the sharpest people she knew.

When they entered the mess that was her room, Haruno stopped and looked around. Nervous but keeping her cool, Temari asked her what was wrong. The other girl shrugged and seated herself on the couch, crossing her legs in an almost uncharacteristic way in the process.

"What happened to the piles of clothing you usually have hanging around on the couch?" she asked casually.

"On the ground. I was reading so I pushed it all off."

"Weird, it's never stopped you from sitting on them before."

"Yeah well, people do things on a whim. It's not that odd."

"For anyone else, no--for you, definitely."

"Shut up and tell me your big news. It better be big, or I'm kicking you out of here for murdering my dream." At the mention of the subject, Sakura perked up instantly, seemingly to have forgotten the issue on the couch. She flung her legs over and sat with her back against the armrest to face Temari.

"Do you remember that plan I told you a while ago?" she started with suppressed excitement.

"You mean another one of those screwing Ino over types, or boring school shit types?"

"Screwing Ino type." Temari snickered, earning a kick at the arm from her friend. She would've said something witty at that, but felt it would be better to not take any risks so early in the morning.

"Anyway," Haruno said, giving Temari a pointed look. "Remember that one I told you about after we drove Hinata to see Hanabi? …the time when I told you to stay behind in case that blonde bimbo stalks us." She sighed when the blonde didn't react. "The time where you whored Tenten with that brazen kiss of yours!"

"Ooh! I remember that!" Temari replied without hesitation. A devilish grin widened across her face as she recalled that day's events.

Haruno rolled her eyes. "Of course you do, you little slut."

"Hey! I resent that. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be getting any at all!"

"I don't mind. So about that thing."

"Please, Sakura, you came up with a billion ideas after that incident. I thought that poster thing was it."

"Okay, whatever. I'll tell you what happened. I got my cousin--he's the one who looks like a criminal with the shifty eyes all the time-- to give Ino a little scare last night. Hinata told me she was over yesterday for some student council shit, so she left the place after it got dark out."

"Mmhmm," Temari absently mumbled. She picked at her pyjamas while only half listening to Haruno's story. In her mind, she was still too preoccupied with trying to remember the details of her dream, like she had been doing so all morning. It couldn't be helped that all she wanted to do right now was dive back into bed and relive it to the end.

"…funny part was that of all people, it had to be Neji. Once he gets out of the hospital, she'll be all over him. But you should know that, huh? You were there with her, weren't you?" Sakura smirked when Temari's head snapped up at full attention.

"What are you talking about?"

"You. I saw you there last night, sitting with her in front of the bastard's room. Thanks to him, my cousin hates me now. But with the way things are going, it'll be worth it. Now tell me, what have you been scheming behind my back?" She leaned in with her face inches from the other girl's, staring Temari straight in the eye for an intimidating effect.

"Nothing. I ran into her last night so I drove her to the hospital."

"Really now?" the pink-haired girl asked dubiously. "What street did you find her on?"

"What?" Sakura repeated the question, drawing out the syllables mockingly. From the look on her face, Temari could tell she was having a lot of fun toying with her. Trying not to let her nervousness show, she shuffled away from the other girl, earning herself another smirk. She was anticipating an answer, and knowing her, she won't let it rest easy.

"That's a little irrelevant," Temari finally replied.

"Guilty!" Haruno cried suddenly, causing the other girl to jump a little in her seat. _She knows! She knows! She knows! Oh god, she knows!_

"Temari, I'm not blind," she drawled. "But I'm warning you, don't play nice with her. And don't you dare mess with her the way I do. If you break her before I get to her, you're not going to be very happy while you're in Konoha."

Despite being relieved that Sakura had missed the nail on the head, Temari's face darkened at the threat. "Haruno Sakura, I can get you jailed for what you said just now."

"Yeah? And I'm sure those in Suna would be thrilled to know their country's precious little princess went around hitting people in Konoha."

"Haruno, you're a little protective of her, aren't you?" Temari smiled humourlessly. It was the first time Sakura had seriously threatened her upon knowing the consequences of it. She didn't like feeling inferior, but she did consider Sakura a friend. And ruining something good for her wouldn't be worth tearing their friendship apart. Though she appeared to have it all together, this pursuit to make Ino miserable just proved how pitiful this girl can be. Temari knew something had happened in the past that she wasn't aware of, though she did not admit it to Tenten. With her usual uncaring demeanour at school towards the students and teachers, it was strange to see her so hung up on something so…_insignificant_.

"No, it's for my own self satisfaction. All of it."

Temari couldn't help but smirk. "Do you really enjoy hurting her? Or do you like having the real satisfaction of keeping her for yourself while you do so? Maybe you wanted to start a scandal with her and Neji so they won't be together. It's fine if you want to keep people away from her. I'll do whatever as long as you keep your paws off Tenten. She's gonna be my most prized fuck."

"You wish you vulgar bastard. Who's the protective one now?" Haruno finished with a smirk.

"By the way, Sakura, I _hate_ that ringtone you put in for yourself. _Please_ let me change it. I know you love Tsuchiya Anna with her Engrish (1) and all but that's your problem!"

"No way. That's special. You have a special ringtone for my phone so it's only fair."

"But…why must it _that_ one? At least mine isn't annoying."

"What are you talking about? _I Kissed a Girl_ is the worst song ever written in human history!"

"Just shut up and tell me the why you're here."

Sakura laughed. "No reason. Just wanted to drill you about last night."

"No brilliant plan for more mental slash physical scarring?"

"Well…what do you think of a LCD projector?"

* * *

Two days later, school was back in session. The hallways were brimming with excited teenagers talking about the first major event of the year. Once the announcement had been made that very morning, half the school had already decided to move their academics down one spot on their priorities list. Most of the usual review tests and quizzes for the seniors had already ended, bringing the atmosphere back to its old excitement, even if it was only for a short while before midterms. Since it was Ino who had taken the place for President, virtually the entire student body who actually gave a damn had high expectations of her. They were sure that the charismatic girl would make every event a day to remember.

Ino herself was well aware of that.

"Who the hell came up with that idea?" Shikamaru asked with an annoyed expression.

Tenten poked at her pasta with her plastic fork, and nodded in Ino's direction. "Like hell I'd suggest something so…wholesomely retarded. I just play along, okay?"

"Oh please," Ino said defensively. She took a moment to scrap off a layer of excess butter on her garlic bread and took a small bite before continuing, "The rest of the school isn't complaining. You two need to learn to have some school spirit."

"But a masquerade? Isn't that a bit too much?" the brunette boy muttered. "Besides, with that kind of dance, it's almost essential to bring a partner. It's so formal and troublesome."

"It's more of a costume party, 'kay? We have to make it up somehow since Tsunade screwed me over and said we couldn't do it on Halloween. C'mon Shika, this is gonna be so much fun!"

Tenten couldn't help but laugh. "Shikamaru doesn't know the first thing about fun."

"I don't know anyone who would disagree."

"Tsk, just because being dragged around by random mystery girl around in an itchy costume isn't my idea of fun, it doesn't make me completely boring."

"You're right, Tenten was being insensitive," Ino said solemnly, earning a nudge from the other girl. "I mean, please, how can I forget that the biggest things right now are Rubik's cubes and go? We assure you that those will be our next big events okay, pumpkin?"

"Ugh." Shikamaru gave up. He has known Ino all his life, and it was obvious the girl was incorrigible. If Asuma didn't have a meeting, he wouldn't stay here longer than he had to. Even so, she was his best friend, along with Tenten who later came into the picture. In fact, he even went out with her in eighth grade. After that, he wanted nothing more than to go back to being friends. He may not have shown it then, but he was jealous of all those boys she got along with. She was simply a social butterfly. And he was right back then: she was more than a little promiscuous.

He tuned out of the conversation Ino and Tenten were having and opted to stare into space instead. All he caught was something about a flats and he wasn't listening. He really didn't understand the way female minds work--so troublesome and so hard to figure out.

Across the room, he found a pair of emerald green eyes staring in his direction. _Haruno Sakura_, he thought idly, _I know you. A little bit of a makeover isn't gonna hide anything. Only someone as slow as Ino could forget you._ He couldn't help but smirk, and from the way she turned her attention back to her table, she caught it.

Ino looked at him curiously. "What are you smiling at?"

Shikamaru nodded at the other table. The blonde followed his line of vision and couldn't help but be a little curious. The usually aggressive Haruno sat at an empty table, her chin propped up as she stared at what appeared to be an open book. She wasn't wearing any leather, but decided on an oversized hoodie instead. "Wonder where Temari is," Ino absently said out loud.

"Dunno. She looks pretty lonely without her though," Tenten admitted.

"Yeah well, how do you expect her to make friends with that attitude of hers?" scoffed Ino. Not two seconds after she said it, she found a strange sense of guilt well up inside her. _Well it's not like it's my fault she's like that._

"Least she's got Temari."

"Yeah, well, I bet the only reason they stick together is because she's the only fu--I mean friend--she could get," Ino said as a wave of panic washed over her when she recalled Haruno's warning weeks ago.

Shikamaru raised a brow, catching something in Ino's statement but decided against pushing it. Instead he looked up, past the blonde, at a very irritated figure entering through the cafeteria doors. "Speak of the Devil," he said with a yawn. "And she's definitely not happy." Both Ino and Tenten turned their heads.

It was just as Shikamaru had said. She trudged through the cafeteria, her eyes set only at Haruno's unsuspecting back. Her usual laid-back features were contorted in an almost menacing expression. Neither Ino nor Tenten have seen her so angry. They weren't even sure if she was capable of such a thing. But what surprised them more was the girl being dragged along roughly by the wrist behind her. Her nearly black eyes were blank, as were the rest of her facial features, yet there was a hint of triumph in her stride. She had long red hair, several shades darker than Haruno's. She wore a military green toque (2) and cargos to match with a plain white T-shirt and a green and black-checkered kerchief. Her sexuality seemed blatantly obvious to Ino and Tenten.

"You know that girl?" Tenten said to no one in particular.

"I think her name's Tayuya," Ino replied, her eyes not leaving them. "Kin mentioned her a few times in math. They're really good friends I think. Y'know, band geeks and all. It's weird though, 'cause I heard she's got the foulest mouth in the school."

"I think she's in PE with me," Tenten said, looking at the girl thoughtfully, "from what I know during roll calls anyway. She's only shown up once or twice."

The two girls continued with watch with interest as Temari approached the table. "Haruno fucking Sakura!" was all they heard from the fuming Suna girl. Haruno jolted in surprise when Tayuya was shoved roughly onto her. The pink-haired girl flinched visibly and attempted to push her off, but the musician didn't budge. Instead, she straddled her hips, giving Ino and Tenten a perfect view of the disgust on Haruno's face. Temari rounded the table and fell heavily into the chair across from Haruno, her back now to the two observers. She made a few wild hand gestures as she spoke, and then slammed her fist on the table. Tayuya turned around so she was sitting on Sakura's lap, saying something with a sinister smile that got Temari pointing at her accusingly in reply.

Haruno, looking as awkward as ever underneath the taller girl, muttered something and tried again to push her off. Temari's shoulders heaved slightly before she got up and headed for the now empty queue line, probably trying to get whatever was left behind the dirty glass cases.

"Well that was…interesting," Ino said, turning back to her own table. "At least they won't be bothering us anymore, huh?"

"I don't know. Haruno doesn't seem like that girl much."

"So what? As long as they don't bother us, I don't care if she's stuck with her for life."

"Aren't you an empathetic one?"

"Shut up. Oh, oh! I've got a really important question to ask you two. Mostly you, Tenten." Turning to Shikamaru, she added, "No offense of course. No one cares what you think anyhow." He grunted a non-committable reply. "Anyway," the blonde continued, "I'm not going to ask if it's a good idea or not, so you can keep that in your head. And I _know_ what the two of you will say. So, do the two of you have any objects to me asking Neji to the dance?"

The two of them froze, looking at her incredulously and, on Tenten's part, a little angrily. Neither of them said anything. Ino immediately wished she hadn't asked such a stupid question.

"If that's what you want," Shikamaru finally sighed.

Tenten shifted her eyes to look at Shikamaru. Her body fell back to its previous, more relaxed, posture. It was hard for her to come up with an answer, not that she felt it was her place to anyhow. In her mind, she wanted Neji to fall for Ino, just because she knew that the blonde couldn't keep a relationship for more than two months, and even that took a miracle. She wanted for him to experience the same left-behind feeling she always felt when she was with him. But despite, she still hasn't fully let go of the past, even with the knowledge that they will never be back together.

So she opted for the safest choice of modern society: she shrugged.

Ino bit her lower lip. She wanted to say something. Tell her to move on, perhaps. But she didn't trust herself knowing that whatever came out of her mouth would be to the benefit of her own selfishness. "Okay then," she said after a long period of silence. "I'll do it."

After Ino left, Shikamaru leaned in a bit closer to Tenten, studying her face carefully and seriously when he asked, "Are you sure that was a good idea?"

"Good or bad, it won't change anything," was her quiet, self-convincing reply.

* * *

Tenten leaned against the cold metal fence that surrounded the school grounds. She was waiting for her mother to pick her up for the promised shopping excursion, but now at exactly 3:15, she still hasn't shown up. In her mind, Tenten had decided to walk home herself if she had to wait fifteen-minutes more. But her mind was barely aware of the time. It was too preoccupied with what Ino had said at lunch. The connotations floated around in her mind, unsure of which conclusion it would settle at. It's just a little dance, was what she told herself. She tried to distract herself by wondering who she would be going with. However it proved to be a dead end since that person will probably end up being Shikamaru anyway.

She sighed. If it wasn't for her duties as Vice-President, she'd never go to a stupid masquerade like this. At the mention of the word "duty", she immediately pictured the male Hyuuga. How he had chased her, probably to the ends of the world if he had to, just because Hinata's father, his uncle, had picked her out during one of the parent gathering events. To know his love had only been partly genuine hurt more than anything. She would've forgiven him though--she loved him that much. That is, only if he spent more time with her, and made more of an effort of showing his love. She had thought sex was a good solution, but every time it was over, she only felt used.

"Ah, you look troubled, Tenten," a voice said from behind her. The brunette turned her head, expecting to see Temari flashing her that triumphant grin whenever she manages to get something out of her. However, Tenten was surprised when she saw the profile of Sakura, who was leaning against the same fence on the other side. She was smirking away, a pair of translucent thin-rimmed sunglasses perched on the bridge of her nose and staring straight ahead of her. Tenten felt her heart drop a little to see that her companion wasn't with her today. In truth, the only reason she didn't fear Haruno was because she knew Temari wouldn't let her hurt her. Somehow, she never tried either besides their first meeting.

Now that her black knight wasn't around, she wasn't a hundred percent sure anymore.

"Tell me," Haruno said as she dropped her bag onto the grass, a colourful ECKO with--Tenten couldn't help but notice--a panda Mamegoma (3) plush hanging on one of the zippers. "Who is Ino going to that stupid dance thing with?"

Tenten looked over at her again, this time meeting the other girl's semi-visible jade eyes. Her tone was flat, but Tenten could sense that she already knew the answer to that. "Take a guess," she replied.

"Hm, well if I had to take down the names of the guys she's already been with…then, oh I don't know, Hyuuga Neji?"

"If you knew, then why did you ask me?"

"I got it right then?" she chuckled. "What about you?"

"Dunno. Never thought about it," Tenten lied. "Are you even going?"

"That…is a surprise."

* * *

1 Engrish: FOB English. FOB English: Funny English that non-English speakers use. It's when their grammar is all over the place and nothing makes sense. Especially in songs when they tend to use whatever lines that they think sound cool. Stands for "fresh off the boat".

2 You Americans call them beanies I heard.

3 Google it, it's adorable. Those Japanese seal looking things.

* * *

**A/N:** YAY! Finally! It's like 12: 30am and I JUST got it done. Thank you to all those who didn't forget about me.Yeah school started, got homework and all that fun stuff.

As for the song for Temari's ringtone, it's called SLAP THAT NAUGHTY BODY by Anna Tsuchiya. Pretty amusing song, in my opinion. My friend had it for a ringtone once. That was...fun. Good times XD

I do have a little present. Well it's not much since...yeah it's not much. I drew a picture that I was supposed to post LAST chapter but never got around to colouring it.

Link is here:

xkurocat**DOT**deviantart**DOT**com/art/SCABL-TemaTen-98269858

As you can see, I suck at colouring. And I hate doing it so it's all good! So uh, anything else? Not really. Well I will be spending a little more time in art now, so hopefully it won't take up my writing time. Other than that, I'm hoping to get the next chapter done for Halloween!

And I wanna say thanks to those who voted, left me a lovely review, and those who got me writing. Some special people including **Lostnomadgirl **(Who's awesome at listening to me rant about unimportant things), **XxZeroKiryuuxX** (Who I've missed but I got an honourable mention in his story--which is awesome btw!), and this person I've never really talked to yet, but has left me a review for every chapter. I know because while I was working on this one, I got these alerts on my email. So thank you for your enthusiasm in this story, **midorihitomi**.

**Also, this is a very important note. I don't want to be losing readers because of the lack of SakuIno interaction. I know that it's supposed to be the main pairing, but please go a little easy on me since Sakura is not a simple character. If you want a quick relationship and all, I suggest you read one-shots. **


	12. Dance with the Devil

**Yes! Okay I realize I'm a bit ahead of schedule for Halloween, but I'm pretty damn sure I won't be updating before then, so hahah. This is the longest chapter I've ever written, and I think the lapse from the last chapter wasn't too bad. **

* * *

Chapter 12: Dance with the Devil

Ino strode through the empty hallways at a leisurely pace. The last bell had rung, and after working hard in shepherding everyone to the gymnasium, the blonde had only one more errand to run before joining the flock. She listened to the crisp pattering of her flats rebounding off the empty building, enjoying the vast emptiness to herself after a long day of bustling around the sea of students. School had let out early like it does on every Friday. Now almost nearing 2:10, the majority of the student body had already evacuated due to a date, or some other kind of short excursion. Normally, Ino herself would be somewhere else with Tenten, entertaining some clique or another at a mall, or some café for afternoon tea and cake.

But after a week of planning and organizing on top of all the school stuff at a breakneck speed that was so agonizingly stressful, Ino was at least ninety-nine percent sure of this dance's success. She had a good feeling burning up in the pit of her stomach; that warm feeling one gets when they know they've done something good.

Today was the big day. In just a number of hours, Ino felt as if her fate will unfold in front of her. It was a life or death situation, a real test on your physical, mental, and emotional capabilities! That may sound a bit far-fetched, but to Ino, that was exactly how it felt. If she was to disappoint right off the bat, the baggage she would have to carry on her shoulders until the next big event may be too much for her to bear.

Fortunately, things were going okay. Most of the members and volunteers showed up for decorating the gym, the wall covering and the streamers were in the process of being put up, and things have been confirmed and were ready to go. The only thing left was the artwork Hinata had promised. Ino had asked for something with a Halloween touch, but not at the same time. After all, the dance was called the Black Rendezvous. She wanted it to be spooky, but not missing that little bit of romantic pizzazz. Halloween may be over--curse Tsunade--but it could be relived bigger and better, from how Ino saw it. So she got Hinata, who teamed up with Uzumaki Naruto, the senior representative (don't ask her how that happened, she'd love to know too), and consulted the art department. Amazingly, Naruto told me they had said it was not a problem at all. And in a mere week, telling from Hinata's last report, things would be ready today. Hinata, who was busy trying to find some teachers who would replace the two who had urgent business to attend to (bullshit was what Ino thought) for supervision, sent Naruto to go fetch the promised pieces. But due to a strange sort of reluctance, Ino eventually got tired of his whining and decided to take the job herself. _If only the teachers cared enough to lend the student's a hand_, Ino thought, _life would be much easier that way_. Even so, she was secretly glad to be out of the gym for a while. The volume was really starting to go up.

As she padded up the stairs to the third floor where the art room was located, Ino felt a small jolt of excitement. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't recall ever meeting people in the art department. Sure she knew a lot of people, but the school had too many to really keep count. Besides, it's not like everyone had a name tag that notified people what departments they liked to hang out in. She couldn't help but wonder just what kind of people this school's artists were like, even if it may be people she already knew. In her mind, she pictured them to be fashionistas in training. They'd be smooth, and not unlike the other cliques, they'd only dress to impress each other. She imagined they'd be graceful and profound. At that, she tried to think of a few names that could fit into that category. Though she came up with only one or two, that made her all the more excited.

When she neared the door, she found it unlocked, opened with just a thin stream of light flooding out from the inside. She heard a few excited voices, and decided to wait a little bit so she wouldn't startle them. You never know when an artist is holding a brush or a pen that could destroy the whole masterpiece with something as trivial as a little scare.

"Karin, are you done with that side yet?" she heard someone call from within the room. At the sound of the name, Ino immediately pictured a petite quiet girl that may not speak much but in reality was a legacy. She would be smaller than Ino, with short hazel hair and bright, round eyes. She imagined how much fun it would be to tease her, and hug her when she didn't reply. With those thoughts, she smiled, now even more excited to go in.

When her finger brushed against the door, she heard another voice call, "Quit bugging her, Tayuya, you're not even doing anything! Just because…" Ino blinked and tried to remember where she had heard that name before. Unconsciously, her hand reached for the doorknob. Her mind was not aware of what she had done until she found herself standing at the doorway of the art room, suddenly finding herself under the spotlight, subject to different pairs of eyes. She could've sworn she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end when the atmosphere suddenly froze over.

She spotted a pair of all-too-familiar jade eyes, and that's when she knew she was the wrong person to pick for this errand.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Haruno said with a smirk as she straightened up. She stood over a table the size of two desks pushed together, a thin brush tipped with magenta paint that hung precariously in the air was held gently and delicately even as she crossed her arms to look at Ino. A sheet of paper laid in landscape format across the table and from the looks of it, Haruno had been adding the finishing touches to what appeared to be a purely abstract painting.

"Welcome to my gang turf," she continued mockingly. "Tell me, what have we done to deserve _such_ an honour from you? I'm afraid we don't have any milk and cookies left over, how about you come back later and we'll get you some."

"I…" Ino started, caught off guard by Haruno's sardonic invitation. She anxiously scanned the room. In the back of the room, her eyes landed on an intrigued sandy-blonde, with a pair of scissors in hand. Across from her was an intimidating-looking redhead, who had twisted around to look at her with a bored expression on her face before turning back to doing whatever she was doing before. Her hair--Ino couldn't believe how she had missed her before--was unkempt one side and longer on the either. In that brief moment of eye contact, Ino noticed her scarlet eyes, matching her hair, behind a pair of black metal-framed glasses. Worse, she was more or less the same height as Temari. It didn't take long for her ideal image shattered with her mind pinpointing this girl as Karin, since she recognized every other girl in the room. Following that was the image of such a high-class clique.

Tayuya was there too, seated a little ways from Haruno, giving her just enough space to reach across and paint the edges. She was straddling her chair backwards with a lollipop in her mouth as she spun around with only slight bemusement when she noticed the blonde.

To Ino, it felt like she had just fallen into a nest of dykes just waiting for their prey to come along. And she felt like she was that prey.

"I," the blonde started again, "I need the artwork from you." She decided to directly address Haruno, keeping her eyes trained on the other girl, since she was the last person she wanted to offend.

"Fine, I'll let you get off easy this time," Haruno said, turning to the back of the room. With a slight tilt of her head, Temari feigned a sigh and moved to the door a metre or so away from her. She opened it partway and said something to someone before throwing up her hands in resignation and stepping into the room, only to emerge a few minutes later with a pile of thin cardboard cut-outs. She motioned for Ino to walk over to where she was and dropped the pile in her arms. Disappearing into the room again, she came out with a stack only half the size of the previous one. Without a single indication of instruction, Karin got up from her seat and moved a bit of Ino's load into Temari's waiting arms. And amidst all the confusion in her mind, Ino followed Temari out the door with a roll of her eyes.

The two walked in silence with Temari looking a bit too happy to care. That was when Ino vaguely recalled an event involving Temari. But everything after that night was blurry, and her mind much too pre-occupied with the male Hyuuga since then to care. Other than focusing on her given tasks, memories of the first time she saw him in that light took up everything else. And as they made their way back to where the rest of the crowd was, Ino thought hard about where she had seen the sandy-blonde last week.

It wasn't until she saw Tenten step through the open gym door that realization hit her. Her shoulders stiffened, but she kept her mouth shut tight. She would drill the brunette as promised once Temari was out of the picture.

"Welcome back, Ino. I don't know if you've seen it yet, but Naruto's team is almost done with the foyer. They just need some finishing touches and such. It's looking great though," Tenten said. She revealed a smile on her face once she relieved Ino of her pile. "That's good," Ino replied, "at least we aren't _too _behind schedule."

"Yeah, with the way things were moving at first, I thought we would never finish. Anyway, let's get this in there." She turned around again and though she appeared to have been completely ignoring Temari, she said a clear "follow me" before disappearing back into the gym. Temari only grinned as she happily complied after the other girl with a slight skip to each step, reminding Ino of a puppy who just doesn't give up.

At 2:30, Ino was frantically running around trying to assist people in any way they could. She could tell that some students are getting restless. After all, they had their own preparations to take care of before the dance that was due to happen in less than five hours. A good third of the volunteers had already left. And in the time that Temari was in the gym directing the activity involving their donated works, the blonde did not miss the unspoken exchange between her and Tenten. Twice she caught a wink on Temari's side with Tenten's feigned exasperation in response. Tenten was always only half-listening whenever tried to make conversation. She was getting sick of being left out and not being told of this terrible secret. What made her feel worse was the fact that, for weeks now, she had thought Temari was after her. That sure was the impression she gave Ino. She felt like a fool when she thought back to it.

However, despite it all, she couldn't help but wonder just what had transpired that weekend that brought Tenten and Temari's relationship--that was once one-sided and bitter on Tenten's part--to this almost romantic level. Then Ino realized something that made her forget this whole thing and gave the two her blessing in her mind. If Tenten was with Temari, then surely she wouldn't mind her going out with Neji. Tenten's silence when she had brought the idea up on Monday sounded so adverse to her ears that it had prevented her from asking him all week. Even though she managed to get a word with him, it was much too subtle to be considered an invitation in her point of view. Still, it didn't matter. Though it was an important dance, it was still just a dance. She was determined to find alone time with him after the event, because, let's face it, who can resist her blue-eyed charm? If he shows up at the dance alone, then that's even better. The whole process will be sped up.

This wasn't sinful at all. He was no longer hers, and she doesn't care anyway. That whole bullshit about taking a friend's ex-boyfriend? Please, let's be more modern here. Ino has had this argument with herself before. She'll be vindicated soon. Besides this won't necessarily end in disaster, will it?

While the blonde was busy justifying her reasons as she watched the boy who invaded her mind as she set up the food table, she was unaware of the reverberating footsteps behind her. The fashionably worn-out military-styled boots stopped behind the oblivious girl, the sound of chains clinking noisily when the stop was made. Ino felt a warm breath by her ear, tickling her skin and sending an electric shiver down her body. Her breath hitched in her throat, but didn't show any sign of surprise. Her grip on the cheap plastic table cover tightened.

"Looks better than I thought it would," the voice whispered. "I didn't expect this much from someone who'd rather screw ten guys at once than appreciate a Van Gogh. You've never had a liking for art, I know that much."

Ino spun around and glared into a pair of indifferent emeralds with a hue of mischief in them. _Haruno_, she acknowledged icily. The blonde dimly noted her fur-lined vest wasn't there when she was in the art room. She was much too caught up in her mocking eyes to pay attention to what she just said.

"What do you want now?" Ino said, biting her tongue from saying anything unnecessary and insulting. She took a step back and away from the other girl, as if afraid she would pounce any second.

"Nothing," she said. "Absolutely nothing."

Just as quick as she had appeared, she left again, leaving Ino to stare disbelievingly at her back. Her crystal eyes steeled immediately as she watched the pink-haired girl turn towards Neji, who was sitting alone, no doubt waiting for Hinata. She didn't know what to expect from her, but every scene forming in her mind scared her.

Haruno stopped casually in front of the wary boy. He didn't say anything and merely looked up at her. Haruno said something which Neji responded with a shrug, his eyes now straying towards the back of the room. Ino briefly turned to follow his gaze and wasn't surprised to see Temari talking to Tenten with her hands finding every excuse for physical contact. Tenten, who would normally bite back with a cold shoulder and try to get out of it by any means, was simply making conversation to her and others around her as if having a girl freely touching you like that was the most normal thing in the world. Ino was sure Neji noticed this too, as well as the obvious fact that the old sulky Tenten was slowly starting to shift back into her former optimistic self. The change was very obscure, but visible nonetheless. In fact, it wouldn't surprise anyone if Tenten herself was still unaware.

Turning back, Haruno was now sitting beside him, just a little closer than Ino would have liked. The pink-haired girl turned and whispered something in his ear with a hand held up to her mouth. Her expression was a sly one (one of Ino's least favourite ones _if_ she had to choose). Blue eyes continued to watch in an almost agonizing degree of curiosity when he shrugged and mumbled some sort of agreement. But Haruno herself was grinning with a triumphant cockiness in her expression. She leaned in again, and did something. This, from what Ino could see, looked almost like a kiss on the lips, or at least the cheek. Neji froze.

The blonde glowered as hard as she could at the girl, cursing her inside her head at the same time. What she hadn't expected was the mocking wink Haruno gave her afterwards to conclude her display. She glided towards the blonde once more and passed her, moving directly towards her friend. Ino looked down at the plastic sheet that was still in her hand, and hadn't realized that she had been gripping it so hard her knuckles turned white.

"…no!" Ino's head snapped up when she heard the sound of her name being called. She spun around to see a slightly pissed off Shikamaru rubbing his temples.

"Finally," he muttered, "I've been calling your name for ages!"

"What?" Ino snapped without meaning to, surprising both herself and Shikamaru.

"Calm down, Ino. It's been a rough week for everyone. Are you gonna set the table or not?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course. That's why I'm holding it, dumbass."

"I don't know, Ino, it's getting pretty wrinkly from the way you're holding the poor thing."

Ino smacked Shikamaru playfully on the arm. Before getting back to work, she shook her head to clear her cluttered thoughts and spared one last look at a now very bored-looking Haruno leaning against the doorframe of the entrance as she waited for Temari.

X

Ino and Tenten stared at each other, slack-jawed in bemusement. Neither knew whether to laugh or not at this stupid irony. The two of them hadn't had time to pick out a costume that week with everything that's been going on. Not one of them had even thought about it until early yesterday morning, when Ino suddenly remembered it was a _costumed_ dance. As soon as she remembered she had called up Tenten in hopes she had remembered, and was absolutely appalled to find that the usually organized brunette had completely forgotten. Out of desperation, Ino had called Sasuke, the only one who didn't care enough for the event to help out. After a lot of begging and whining, the blonde had finally pissed off the raven-haired boy enough for him to give in. After setting up the gymnasium, the two had taken up camp at Ino's house and it wasn't long before the Uchiha showed up with two large bags and a very devious smirk. In Ino's opinion, he was in a much too big of a hurry to avoid suspicion.

"Geez, Ino…that's uh…convenient?" Tenten said as she stepped into Ino's room. She's always been too modest to change in front of friends, always preferring the bathroom or the closet instead.

"W-what's that supposed to mean?!" Ino retorted, feeling her cheeks brighten.

"I never knew Little Red was such a…brave girl. This totally throws some childhood memories out of the loop," Tenten murmured, trying not to stare. Ino caught her hazel eyes shift sideways and automatically reached for the edge of her skirt to pull it down. Her red cape stretched a little past her elbow, but her dress was anything but modest. It had all kinds of lace and frills lining the layer of picnic blanket patterns of pink and white. The collar ran low, with a red ribbon diving in and out of the white fabric, meeting at the cut where her cleavage was exposed. A white makeshift apron lined with white frills was sewn onto the front of her skirt. Under it was the white ruffled layer that created the puff of her skirt. The skirt itself was much shorter than either of them would have liked. Ino's panties were hardly covered by the thin material--no matter what the blonde did, the stubborn thing would no go any lower. To complete the look, she had a pair of thin translucent leggings, lined with a band of lace, with red heels to match.

"Fucking Uchiha bastard…" Ino said as she examined herself in the mirror.

"I don't think Sasuke knew your size. At least one of us is guaranteed to get laid tonight. You've gotta admit it's convenient. Someone could stick their hand in your underwear without much difficulty."

"S-shut up! As if I'd let someone do that!"

"It suits you though. It's not like you look…bad. Actually, I think you look a little _too_ good in an outfit like that."

"Er, thanks. I think. By the way, what the hell are you?"

Tenten looked down at her outfit. "I…don't know." Her face was half buried in a large mass of snow-white fur attached to her hood. She wore a long sleeveless that seemed to be a good size or two bigger (seeing that it's Sasuke, it was probably unintentional too). She had shorts that were almost invisible from the shirt, gloves, white boots, and a black tail tipped with white to match. Her thick shoulder-length hair was freed from their usual buns and a tad curly even after she had brushed through it thoroughly, and on top rested a peculiar pair of white cat ears. And even odder, her costume had included a white medical eye-patch.

"I think I'm a cat," Tenten concluded dumbly.

"Are you sure? You look like someone's furry fetish."

"Ha, ha, ha, not funny. You're the one who looks like every pedophile's fantasy."

"I do not!" the blonde complained, playfully slapping Tenten on the arm.

"I don't think the eye-patch came with it though. It looks like one of those things you get from Daiso (1). Though I doubt the dumb bastard would go that extra mile."

"It's very cute though," Ino admitted as she eyed her friend up and down, "more the reason to be careful of _certain_ people."

"What?"

"You know who I'm talking about!"

"Um… Tsunade?"

Ino gaped at her. "Temari. Be careful of Temari, Tenten," she drawled with a sigh.

Tenten shrugged. "I don't think she's as bad as you think, Ino. Besides I know how to take care of myself, thank you very much."

"N-not as…," Ino repeated in disbelief. She couldn't help but wonder if Tenten has finally lost it. "Tenten! She's always all over you! I think you and I both know what her ulterior motive is."

Tenten tongued her cheek irritably. Despite knowing how right Ino was, she didn't want to hear it. Worse, she felt like she had this conversation before. Maybe it was because she knew she was right that she didn't want a confirmation of it. She didn't know. This touchy reaction was doing nothing but confusing the brunette, but she couldn't help but want to believe that Temari just wasn't that kind of person. It was no surprise to her if the resolution she had made about Temari on their first encounter was starting to dissolve. There must be a chance that sex isn't everything the sandy-blonde wanted from her. But just because she was sweet to her, it doesn't mean it can't be for carnal desires. _Geez, Tenten. Don't let the bullshit she says get to you, _Tenten would think from time to time in order to convince herself that she wasn't lonely enough to fall for such stupid tactics.

"So, uh, is Neji picking you up?" Tenten asked hesitantly just for the sake of changing the subject. She glanced at the clock on the wall which read 5:46PM; the two of them should be at school soon for last minute set-ups.

"Uh, I don't know," Ino sighed, taking a seat on her bed. "I suppose I'll meet him there."

"That's what I thought," the brunette replied with a small smile, knowing Neji still hasn't changed a single bit.

"So, uh, does that mean you're okay with…this?"

Tenten shrugged. "I guess. It's not…that big of a deal. Just don't…y'know. Because honestly I don't want to see it."

"I understand."

Just then, the doorbell sounded. "Ino-chan, get the door!" came the muffled sound of her fathers voice in the kitchen. Tenten raised a brow, giving Ino an accusing look. More than a little confused, the blonde got up and rushed down the stairs.

Opening the door, she was caught by surprise to see man in a white and gold military dress uniform towering over her. He wore a pair of matching slacks, and a sash. The jacket had gold frilled epaulettes complete with gold braids down one side. His long black hair was tied in a low ponytail draped over his shoulders. On his face was a silver ball mask, and all Ino could see were the white eyes behind them.

Ino's breath caught in her throat when she took in this kind of beauty and elegance that she had never seen in a man. She was surprised to hear him do the same--she didn't expect to have the same effect on those enigmatic clear eyes. He held out a single red rose, a smile barely touching his lips.

"N-Neji?" the blonde tried cautiously, inching forward to accept the flower. He nodded an affirmative but didn't say anything. When Ino leaned forward to give him a quick peck on the cheek, his eyes darted up the staircase behind Ino when he heard Tenten's rapid footsteps. When he saw the brunette stop, her face contorting in confusion, he couldn't suppress a small smirk.

Turning back to his date for the night, he now offered her a glove-clad hand. Ino blushed at his gentlemanly mannerism, a kind of behaviour she has never seen in any guy she has ever dated, much less one of the school's most heartless guys with enough ice in his eyes to freeze hell over. It suddenly made her feel like a beautiful and elegant princess even though her costume was completely off for the part.

Ino's eyes strayed past him to see Hinata's modest little sedan parked in front of her house. It wasn't strange to see him with his cousin's car. She simply figured he had dropped her off before coming here. Yet, she failed to remember that Hinata had arrived at school over thirty minutes ago, and a drive from there to Ino's house took less than ten. She was floating much too high to put these technical details into account.

Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled gently towards the open door and soon realized she was being led to the vehicle. She quickly turned her head around and gave Tenten an apologetic look. Tenten returned it with a feigned indifferent expression and shivered before stepping out to wave goodbye.

Tenten watched as Neji drove off with Ino into the darkening glow of the streets. Inwardly, she wished someone would spontaneously appear and take her away, but of course that person wouldn't be Shikamaru, her "date". How likely would it be for another Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet?

She quickly shut the door, ran out stairs to grab her backpack, thanked Ino's dad of her out of courtesy, and stepped back out into the cold. With a sigh, she padded across Ino's front lawn and onto the sidewalk. She decided to take her time since no one was anticipating her arrival anyway. Fuck the school dance anyway. She was going out of pure obligation, not fun. What kind of role model would she be if she didn't even turned up to the events she helped plan? She heaved a heavy sigh. Just because she doesn't have a proper date, it doesn't mean she won't have fun at the dance. But who was she kidding? If she had the choice, she wouldn't be showing up in the first place. _There'll be plenty of singles there. It's not like the whole school is coupled off! I'll just mingle_, she thought, forcing a small smile. _While Neji and Ino are off by themselves having the time of their lives, that's what I'll do: make myself scarce with the crowd. Ugh, I need to try harder and be more optimistic._

Just then, the brunette jumped when she heard the sound of a car's horn behind her. She turned around and blinked when she saw Temari grin at her through the windshield of her. The blue BMW made its way toward her slowly. Tenten stopped and turned to look at it with a wary look. _Doesn't she live on the other side of the neighbourhood?_

"Good evening," Temari said, "what's a little kitty doing alone by herself? She might get kidnapped you know."

"What do you want, Temari?" Tenten answered exasperatedly to cover up her surprise.

"Picking you up, of course. C'mon, quit gaping and get in."

Reluctantly, Tenten complied, thinking it was better than walking the twenty minutes alone. Besides, it is safer than walking through the darkening sky isn't it? After Ino's incident last time, she wasn't so sure she liked walking by herself anymore. Temari reached over across the seat and opened the door for her. With a small but slightly relieved sigh, Tenten made her way around the front and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Er, that's, uh, creative," Tenten said, glancing at Temari's costume and at the same time trying hard not to stare.

"What, did you expect to see me in a banana suit or something?" The blonde chuckled, fingering the brim of her black cowboy hat. She had kept two out of her four pom-poms with a red paisley print bandana hanging around her neck. She wore a white shirt with the first two buttons undone and a black vest accented with silver buttons and a thin chain. On top of that, she had a long dark jacket--its sleeves rolled up and held up with a buttoned strap--complete with the frays. To complete the look, she wore a pair of tight shorts with its shortness rivaling Ino's dress, and an unnecessary white leather belt looped through it, supporting a faux gun holster. Tenten couldn't see it, but she assumed she had those classic cowboy boots as well.

"Long pants would've worked better," Tenten said absently, trying to focus on not thinking about the shortness of the other girl's shorts. She could feel a small burn rising to her cheeks. _It would be much easier to bear if I got a Prince Charming rather than an outlawed cowboy, _Tenten thought irritably.

"Oh, but I'm enjoying these so much more," Temari said with a smirk. She didn't miss the brunette's sheepish expression as she averted her eyes from her legs, but decided to let her off the hook this time.

X

Neji motioned for Ino to sit still while he moved around the front of his car and opened the door for her. Ino giggled with delight and accepted his hand, feeling, once again, like Cinderella being taken to her first ball. Ino grasped his hand and held it before pulling him towards the stairs in a fit of giggles. She savoured the feeling of his hand in hers. Even though she had imagined his hands to be bigger and stronger, she loved the way they fit so perfectly in hers. It was much better than the hard grip other guys tended to have.

Once they entered the foyer, Ino felt Neji pull away, much to her dismay. As if on cue, a group of people greeted the blonde, engulfing her in a tight circle as they examined her costume. Ino cursed in her head, but kept a smiling face while answering a few people calmly, at the same time watching Neji turn and walk in the direction of the gymnasium. As quick as she possibly could, she excused herself and ran as fast as her heels would allow her to catch up with Neji.

Despite the relatively empty gym, he was no where to be found.

X

Tenten could barely hear her own breathing through the loud steady pumping of the music, but she knew she was breathing hard. The minute she turned from the crowd to grab a drink, the smile on her face faded. Leaning against the wall, she watched the rest of the crowd dance away without a care in the world and was thankful she had managed to find an open spot where a few people, like herself, stood around trying to catch their breath and rehydrate themselves with, what the brunette swore to be, spiked punch. She gave the clock on the wall a wry glance and dimly noted the time to be almost 9PM.

She had lost Temari ages ago. As for Ino and Neji, she wasn't sure but she thought she saw Ino with a group of girls somewhere. That meant she must've lost Neji too.

Just then, she thought she heard someone call her name. She wasn't sure as the music just about drowned everything out. Turning to her left, she saw only teenagers who were too occupied with each other to care about anything else. She turned to her right, and was surprised--and just about ready to go into a defence stance--when she saw a familiar face staring at her with a curious expression.

"Hello Tenten," she greeted warmly. Tenten, who had only heard her threaten her before, was caught off guard to hear the sincerity in her friendly greeting.

"Uh, hi," she replied nervously, her body becoming rigid with alarm.

For in front of her stood the girl who almost raped her if Temari hadn't come to the rescue. Although this time, she wasn't exactly a hundred percent sure if this was the same Doppelganger groupie. Her hair was a dark brown, almost like Tenten's, not the sandy-blonde it once was. Tenten couldn't help but gape at her outfit, which unmistakably belonged to Catwoman. The dark leather strained against the other girl's flesh. Even worse, outfit left her stomach exposed, which made it obvious that it was at least a size or two (or five) too small.

"Er, what a coincidence," Leiko said nervously, taking the words right out of Tenten's mouth. The smaller brunette couldn't help but wonder just what kind of sick joke this was.

"Yeah…"

"A-anyway! I hope you don't misunderstand. I mean, I didn't wear this on purpose, you know. I don't want you to think that just because you and Temari are all lovey-dovey now that I'll try to be you…and stuff."

"Oh, uh, we're not…going out. And I didn't think that, so relax."

"What? You're not?" The girl said almost angrily with a deep frown. _Shit I think I pissed her off, _Tenten thought, keeping a calm face.

"No."

"Why not!" she demanded.

"…Because I don't love her?" Tenten drawled.

"How can…! Actually forget it. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to blow up at you again. I wanted to apologize for last time," she paused and shook her head, "I just can't believe how ungrateful you are. You don't know how lucky you are really."

"I can see that through your eyes," Tenten said without a hint of venom.

Leiko moved beside Tenten, but kept a certain distance. "A lot of people admire you, you know. Just not to our extent for Temari. You know she's pretty much filthy rich right? Of course you do. She has all the classic qualities of an ideal lover, which is why a lot of us had always pictured her as this picture perfect partner. You just can't help but fall in love right? I mean, she's collected, she's got that masculine edge that makes her so hot, and she looks like one of those unapproachable types. Let's face it she's almost like a prince off a manga. But to tell you the truth, we haven't been meeting as much since we found out about her secret."

In Tenten's mind, she wholly believed this girl needed some serious mental guidance. "What secret?" she heard herself say, covering her surprise with a sip of her forgotten drink.

"I don't know if I should tell you, because I'm almost a hundred percent sure you won't be able to get an answer from Temari herself," Leiko replied. "Haven't you ever wondered how the three siblings have so much money?"

"There are a lot of people born into money you know. Maybe her parents died and left them with an infinite amount of cash."

"No, their father is in Suna. He visited only once last year, and from what I know he is just an ordinary man. Plus, he stayed in a hotel that night." _Wow, talk about a diehard stalker, _Tenten thought with amusement. "So here's the real reason," she paused and motioned for Tenten to move closer. She obeyed for the sake of avoiding any more trouble with this girl than necessary.

"She belongs to an underground organization."

Tenten jerked her head back disbelievingly. "It's true," the other girl pressed, "we saw her. It's the reason why she says she has four courses. As far as we know, she only goes to art. So where could she be during all the rest of the school day? For all we know, she could be prostituting girls and committing all sorts of crimes! Hey, I understand if you don't want to believe it. I'm just telling you out of the goodness of my heart that she could be dangerous. And yes, I know, we love her enough to start a fan base, but admiring her from afar is good enough for us now. Ask her if you want."

"Got proof?"

"Think about it. It's the only logical explanation."

Tenten shook her head, still not believing a single word coming out of her mouth. "Well then," Leiko said with a small smile when Tenten did not reply, "I'll see you later." She pushed herself off the wall and disappeared into the fluorescent lights of the dance floor. _God, I hope not_, the brunette thought silently after she left.

X

Ino wasn't happy. The hours were dwindling away quickly and she still hasn't danced even once with the boy of her dreams. The gym was filled to the brim with virtually the entire school population. With so many people here, she may never find him. She had been mingling and dancing, receiving a lot of positive comments that may have made her happy in other situations, but her eyes had been darting around non-stop all night in search of the raven-haired boy. She was so set on finding him that she simply did not care about everyone else.

Strangely enough, she had found Hinata with Kabuto a while ago. Hinata was having trouble breathing due to the lack of oxygen in the room. Kabuto is one of the few who knew first aid and had been sitting with her at the side of the gym after she had steadied her breath. Hinata's body had always been weak, so something like this was bound to happen. Though usually, Neji would be nearby with an inhaler or something. It was a real relief that Kabuto had been nearby or she may have collapsed. Ino thought for sure Neji would be in that general area at least, but there was no hint of the usually overprotective cousin. So after making sure Hinata would be alright, she continued on her search.

Seeing that it's Neji, after all, the blonde decided to look around in the hallways. He always did seem like the type to deviate from the crowd to enjoy the tranquility of some alone-time.

Suddenly, she saw him, in the foyer just as she had guessed. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second before he turned around and exited through what was supposed to be a locked door that prevented people from wandering the halls during this event. Ino grinned ran after him, dodging a few people coming out of the gym.

From what the blonde could see through the glass on the doors, the hallway was dark and Neji was nowhere in sight. Yet the creepy factor of all this did not sway Ino a single bit. She pushed open the heavy door and stepped into the blackness. She turned around was about to let go and close it to avoid suspicion when she almost jumped out of her skin when she came face to face with one of her least favourite horror movie elements: the ventriloquist's puppet. She was about to scream when a hand shot out and covered her mouth.

"Calm down, it's me," he said in monotone.

Ino's eyes widened, and moved his hand away to let out a sigh of relief. "For the love of god, Sasori! You scared the hell outta me! You have no idea how effective your make-up looks under this kind of lighting. I swear to god I thought you were the real deal."

The nonchalant redhead cracked a small smile. "I wore this last year too, and it had the same effect a lot of people."

"Well I'm sorry if people aren't very gung-ho about being stalked by a horror movie monster."

"I was just curious as to what you were doing here."

"It's none of your business. Now, shoo! This area is out of bounds."

"If you say so," Sasori said with a knowing smirk. "I saw someone run in here. Figured someone would follow, but didn't think it'd be you."

"Yeah, yeah, go back to your boyfriend and mind your own business!" Ino said waving him off and shut the door.

_Forget the dance floor, _she thought with a sly smile. _If I'm lucky, I'll be getting a different kind of dance tonight,_

X

Tenten stood outside the main entrance. She needed some fresh air and a little bit of time to think. Boredly, she watched couple after couple exit through the double glass doors. The night was still young, but she figured teenage hormones can only be restrained for so long. _I haven't had a partner for over half a year,_ the brunette thought cynically, _and you don't see me going berserk._ She wrapped her arm around herself and shivered. The night was getting colder and colder, and her costume made no effort to shield her from it.

She decided to step back inside when a small crowd of weed-smokers decided to pitch camp at the bottom of the steps.

"Ow!" a voice cried in pain when Tenten pushed open the glass door, not paying attention to her surroundings at all. The brunette jumped a little in surprise to see a familiar blonde rubbing her forehead in attempt to ease the pain standing on the other side of the open door.

"How the hell does one run into a glass door?"

"Ah, jeez, Tenten, you're so cold. The least you could do is kiss me better," the other girl complained.

"Dumbass."

"I saw you and just wanted to say hi since you mysteriously disappeared earlier," she grinned. "Didn't expect you to be so hard on the door though."

"You're a dumbass, Temari," Tenten said with a shake of her head before walking off briskly.

"H-hey! Wait, I had a question to ask you," Temari called, taking a few strides to catch up to her. Tenten didn't reply, but stopped and looked at her with a quizzical expression. "Have you seen…Neji…around?" Tenten raised a brow. _Why did she have to _think_ about it? And what's up with everyone wanting Neji lately? _She thought, feeling her stomach drop. It could be because her ex-boyfriend had spontaneously become popular, or the fact that there was a chance that Temari is no longer interested in her. It was one or the other, but the brunette couldn't tell.

"No, I haven't," she replied emotionlessly. Staring ahead, she noticed a door left slightly ajar. Her brows furrowed. _Stupid horny teenagers. I thought it was pretty fucking clear that the rest of the school was off limits_.

Temari followed her gaze with a curious cock of her head. As Tenten moved towards, a sudden thought struck her. "Hey wait!" she said, catching up to her in a fast-walk pace. The brunette ignored her and pushed opened the door. Journeying deeper into the dark halls, Tenten noticed almost immediately that the office doors had been, or still was, occupied.

Her hand only managed to brush the frame of the door before someone grabbed her from behind with one hand firmly clasped against her mouth. _Shit this feels like déjà vu. _She was then dragged across the floor, her resistance proving to be futile. The only light came from the foyer streaming through the small glass windows of the blockade. Even so, the brunette could see that she had been taken into the janitor's closet across the hall.

X

Ino looked around the room. She didn't dare flip the light switch. Her curiosity had betrayed her once again when she found one of the office doors open. Her mind had been so fixed on the fact that she was looking for Neji that the possibility of another kind of intruder had eluded her completely. Only now, as she stood in the darkness of the main office did she start to feel a little frightened.

It didn't take long for her to notice a faint glow coming from Tsunade's office. After all, it was the only light source in the room. She pressed on closer to hear a light shuffling inside. She took a deep breath and tried her hardest to suppress any irrationally horrific thoughts of what might be inside, instead replacing them with sexier thoughts of her alleged date for tonight. Her head was spinning with all the jumbled up images in her mind.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she cautiously pushed the door open. No one. It was only when she had the courage to walk in completely did she notice the figure standing by the window with their back to her. Ino recognized him immediately with his beautiful jet-black hair cascading down his back. His princely outfit suited him perfectly. The soft light of the desk lamp only gave him a more mysterious feel. She couldn't help but stare and try to take it all in. After seeing him in this light, Ino concluded that he was simply perfect. Why Tenten had let him go, she will never know. He was gorgeous, gentle, a perfect gentleman, and a white knight to boot. Before she knew it, Ino found herself behind him with her arms outstretched.

He caught both of her hands in midair before she could make contact with his chest. He spun around and buried his face in the crook of her neck. Ino opened her mouth to ask what was wrong when she felt his soft lips against her skin, upturned in a hidden smile. In a second, the blonde was caught in paradise when he moved up and captured her lips.

It must've been the most passionate kiss she had ever experienced. There was no teasing. It was straight to the point and all but melted the blonde. He was skilled in his own unique way, with a softness that definitely rivaled that of a girl's. As things started to heat up, Ino felt her legs getting weak. Fortunately, he must've known this when he started shuffling backwards until the blonde found support on Tsunade's desk. Stacks of paper were knocked over, but the two were too deeply involved with each other to care.

But just as abrupt as he had initiated the kiss, he broke it off. Ino's mind was in a frenzied state, too numb to feel anything but the craving for his lips again. He closed in on her again, this time holding her hands gently in his. She could almost purr at the feeling of warmth that radiated off him, contrary to the cold metal against her wrists. She didn't notice until the sound of the quiet click broke through the silence. Ino's eyes flew open. She took a good look at the man who was supposed to be her lover and felt a wave of panic rush through her. She couldn't find her voice to scream. No, reality had hit her so hard the gears in her mind jammed, stopping it completely. She wiggled her arms, only understanding now that she had been handcuffed.

X

Tenten's captor sighed. They had been through this before, what seemed like years ago, and she didn't want to do this again. The minute she dropped her hand, the brunette shot backward, spinning around so her back landed hard against the wall.

"I hope you're not claustrophobic," Temari said with a small smile as she reached over and locked the door.

"W-what the hell is your --"

Temari placed a finger on her lips. "Shh, calm down and be quiet. Look, I'm sorry. This time I actually have a reason for doing this."

"And what's that?" Tenten said angrily, sliding down onto the cardboard box behind her knees.

"I just can't let you go in there. I don't know what she's thinking, but I can't bear to ruin this for her. Don't worry though, no one will be hurt."

"You're not making any sense!"

"I won't say anymore. My hands are tied this round."

"Okay fine, I won't go, okay? So let me out now."

Temari looked up, her expression suddenly changed from sullen to coy. Her eyes seemed to glint trouble even in the complete darkness "I'm afraid I can't do that either."

"W-what? Why?" Tenten demanded, shifting back further in her makeshift seat. Upon hearing the playful tone in Temari's voice, Tenten suddenly became acutely aware of how close they were sitting. Temari's leg was flat against her own, her knee being only inches away from her crotch area.

"Because," Temari whispered huskily, "I want to get to know you more."

Tenten shuffled back even more so her back was once again flat against the wall. Temari laughed. "Ah, you're so undeniably cute. But I just want to talk. Really. Since we're in here anyway, what's wrong with a little _bonding_? Besides, I won't do anything _too_ uncomfortable, i.e. force you to have sex with me in this teeny tiny dark space, unless I have your consent, so don't worry."

Tenten turned away, finding the mop much less awkward to stare at. There was no doubt that she was embarrassed that Temari had read her mind. What she had assumed may have been the instinct of any other girl in her position, yet she didn't feel like less of a dork for thinking it. Nonetheless, she wasn't sure whether or not to trust this girl. Being locked up in a tiny dark room with someone who's always all over you, then hearing them say they _just_ want a friendly chat sure didn't seem very convincing to her.

X

Ino stared wide-eyed, her body rigid. She was terrified at, not only this predicament, but at herself. At this moment, she couldn't have hated herself more for being so stupid. She had been so caught up in the attention he had given her at the start of the night that any logical reasoning had escaped her completely. She couldn't even take the time to digest the distinction in his physical appearance. Everything, she realized, had been set up--she fell for it completely.

She could only attempt a glare into her bright jade eyes and wonder how she had managed to catch her exactly where she wanted.

"You look disappointed," she said with a smirk. "Did you wish for the real Prince Charming, princess?"

The blonde looked away--she had never felt so embarrassed in her life. "What did you do with Neji?" She muttered, sounding weaker than she had intended.

She pulled off her wig and ran a hand through her mess of pink hair. With a sly grin that Ino had seen so many times on Temari, she said in a sickly polite sort of way, "I think you'll be happy to know he never showed up tonight. So yes, if you'll stop looking so horrified, I was the one who picked you up. So sorry I disappeared for such a long time, but these handcuffs took me a long time to find. You should know one thing though: we are two people from different worlds, yet what we do affects the other. That is why I chose not to be the Big Bad Wolf, and instead be the protagonist. But as you should already know, the protagonist isn't always the good guy. And even as a Prince, I'm no different. I'm not here to save you-- I'm here to put your life on a potter's wheel, just as you put mine. "

The blonde wasn't listening. _All that time_, Ino thought angrily, her jaw clenching unconsciously, _I thought it was him. How could I have been so… Neji hates me for god's sake! _If looks could kill then surely Haruno would be dead right now. Her feelings were played like a toy for her entertainment, and now she hated her with an intensity that she never thought possible. Yet at the same time, she found it difficult to wish her dead after the small sense of warmth she had given her, which proved to her that the tough bully was human after all. Now she could begin to understand what Tenten was going though. Never had she been so mixed-up before, and that was enough to fuel her fury.

"What the hell are you playing at, Haruno?" she demanded.

"Good question--I figured you would ask that," she said as she sat down on the leather chair in front of her. Suddenly, Ino's argument disappeared and all she wished was for her skirt not be as short as it currently was. She crossed her legs tightly. It was more than obvious that she was in a vulnerable position from her seat on the table. Fortunately, Haruno wasn't paying any attention to that--she was much too amused by the sight of Ino's obvious discomfort. "See, the reason I led you here, spelling it out for you, was to tell you something. You'd wish it'd be as simple as that, wouldn't you?" she chuckled. "Of course, I want to have my fun too. So let's play a game, shall we?"

"Let me go! I don't want to be part of your psychotic games," Ino growled, jerking at her handcuffs.

"Ah, as crazy as it may seem to you, let me remind you that you brought it all upon yourself. I'm only as 'psychotic', like you said, as you've made me feel. Now, you can complain all night, or you can just give in to me. If it makes you better, I'll explain what your reward will be. If you win, then guess what? I'll tell you the reason why I'm doing all this _and_ I'll never bother you ever again. So you can sit back, relax, and bathe in the sins you've committed up until now. Sounds like fun, hm?" Ino frowned, now feeling a little enticed by the fact that Haruno will leave her the hell alone for the rest of her life. But she didn't say anything and waited for her to finish.

"Now if _I_ win, then things go on," her eyes darkened. "Never again will you have the chance to control this. This is the only shot you get to convince me to give up."

"No! I don't want to be part of this!" Ino repeated again. She shuffled closer to the edge of the desk, uncrossing her legs in a desperate attempt to escape, handcuffs or not. It was clear to her that Haruno was anything but sane. Whatever her "game" was, she feared her life was on the line.

The pink-haired girl saw this and lazily got up from her chair with a sigh, roughly shoving Ino back on the table. She smiled humourlessly and ran a hand down her side. Even through the fabric, the blonde could feel the warmth, sending a small shiver down her back. "You don't have to tell me over and over," Haruno whispered in her ear. "Whatever you try will be futile, because you're already part of this. More accurately, you are the very _reason_ for all this, so don't give me that kind of horseshit. There is no way you can get out of this, and trust me, you won't want to."

"The rules are simple," she continued as her hand travelled downwards. Ino had the sense that she was about to push up her skirt when she suddenly pulled back. Unfortunately, not far enough so Ino could cross her legs again. She could tell that Haruno was thoroughly enjoyed the look of terror on the blonde's face but didn't comment on it. Instead she watched her reached up her own jacket. "Hold on, this is suffocating," she said with a small wince as she unbuttoned first button of her collar, then one more of her double-breasted jacket, letting the flap fall far enough for circulation, but not enough to expose anything. Ino wasn't sure to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, or cry at what she was about to go through.

"I made the rules simple so you don't get confused," she said as she peeled off her gloves. "As you may have expected, or perhaps even wished for, this game is something like a bad porn video. But you like that stuff, don't you? So I thought this would be a good opportunity to test your hatred towards me, _and_ enjoy ourselves at the same time." Haruno moved her arms above her hand, the other hand cupping her breast. She gave it a soft squeeze, causing Ino to automatically bite her tongue. "All you gotta do is withstand the heat for, let's say thirty minutes, not so bad right? But if you come before then, you lose. Is that clear?"

Ino held the pink-haired girl's eyes for a minute. Her expression was serious, grave even. Her harlequin eyes seemed to be clouded and glazed over. Ino couldn't tell if this "game" created for the sake of being able to touch her or she honestly wanted Ino to lose her. Ino knew many people fawned over her, but no one had been fanatic enough to go to such lengths.

Haruno's head swooped down and gently bit her ear. It didn't take long for her to move on, landing almost immediately at a sensitive spot on her neck. "Don't touch me!" Ino shrieked, and jerked her arms upwards in a sudden move to protect herself. The move caught Sakura off guard and involuntarily struck her chin, forcing her jaws together with a painful bite on tongue.

"F-fuck!" she cried, staggering backwards with a hand on her mouth. She spun around to face the window, her back to the blonde, in attempt to ease out the pain. Ino gasped audibly. But instead of feeling the triumph she should've felt, a wave of guilt washed over her.

"Uhm…are y-you okay?" the bound blonde asked cautiously.

She turned around slowly, a dangerous glint sparking off her eyes. Squaring her shoulders, she said, "Fine. But don't think you'll be safe that easily." Haruno closed in again, her face inches away from Ino's. "The timer hasn't started." Ino swallowed thickly. She was feeling insecure from the girl's invasion in her privacy rather than her warning.

Her hand inched up the inside of her thigh, sending tingles up Ino's body. At the same time, she maintained her distance, her green orbs focused on Ino's face, so hard it felt like she were to catch every line that moved. Ino herself was determined to not let these things faze her. In her mind, she was almost positive that she could last the thirty minutes. After all, she had tried enough positions with boys, she supposed (they were never really that adventurous), and Sakura was missing the one vital organ capable of making her feel good.

Haruno's soft hands reached the inside of her ruffles, but instead of going directly for the treasure, she moved upwards, following the edge of her panties. She reached her lower back and slipped her thumb into the thin band, the direct contact with her skin causing Ino to flinch a little in surprise. Her thumbs dragged themselves back to either side of her hips before finally pulling it down. _She's wasting time?_ Ino thought in mild confusion.

She stepped away for a minute, giving Ino space to breath normally again, and kneeled down to carefully pull it off completely, placing it on the chair behind her. Without a single glance up Ino's skirt, she straightened up again.

While she wasn't looking, Ino took a glance at the clock on the wall. 5 minutes had passed.

Before she could congratulate herself, however, her lips were caught once again. Ino had expected this kiss would be different considering she had taken off her disguise now. But when her soft lips made contact with her own so gently, taking their time to savour her own, she wasn't so sure. Her hands moved up her body, this time in search of the president's sensitive spots while her mouth worked her magic. The thin barrier of her clothes weren't helping the blonde a single bit. She had to keep a tight rein on her thoughts to not lose herself, and was doing a decent job until the delinquent's tongue inched forward and asked for admittance. Before she could even catch herself, she opened her mouth and complied. At the same time she kept reminding herself that she was digging her own grave.

Much to Ino's surprise and disgust, she found herself enjoying the kiss, even after knowing she wasn't Neji. She hated to think that it was _because_ of that, yet there was no denying it. Her body was warming up, and when had breathing become so difficult? Haruno's hands were everywhere. She could barely think anymore.

Haruno broke the kiss just when Ino thought her lungs would burst. Her breathing was ragged, and it gave her a small spark of satisfaction that she wasn't alone. Ino's eyes fluttered open--she couldn't even remember when she had closed them--and found herself staring into the other girl's slightly dazed ones.

"Let's turn it up a little," Sakura whispered huskily with a small smirk. Her sudden transformation back to herself caught the blonde off guard. Before she could react or even think about how to react to that, Haruno was on one knee.

X

"C'mon, Tenten, say something. This is awkward enough as it is," Temari sighed.

"Okay," Tenten finally said, "since you want to talk so badly you can tell me the real reason why you're always after me. And don't you dare try anything funny."

Temari hesitated. "You're asking me only because you know, aren't you?"

"I want a confirmation." _So I don't get the wrong idea all the time_, she added to herself.

"Then I'll admit it." She leaned closer, but kept a fair distance, "Whatever assumption you made, you were probably right seeing that it's you after all. Sometimes I wish I knew why too. I've never had this problem back in Suna. For me to be going through so much for one toss in the bed, I would've never thought. You of all people! To top if off, I've never had anyone dislike me as much as you. I wish I knew the reason behind all this and get this problem fixed up, because you know what? As much as I'm shocked by this as you are…" She bent down and leaned in even closer. Her hand pressed against the wall behind Tenten's head. Her breath hovered over the brunette's ear, sending a small blush across her cheeks.

"…out of every girl I know, you turn me on the most. And that's not just because you're wearing the kinkiest costume in the school tonight."

Tenten almost fell off her box at the bold statement. Her cheeks must've flushed a hundred shades of red. She opened her mouth but not a single coherent sentence came to mind. Why her of all people? She was just another plain Jane with less than half of the feminity most girls have. There was absolutely nothing special about her that could trigger a confession like that!

"Like I said," Temari muttered coolly, her voice taking a different edge, "I won't force anything on you. You're not bound by this, you know. A one-night-stand is all I want, but it's not like you _have_ to say yes. I won't be chasing you forever." In the murky blackness, Tenten could make out a shrug. Yet she wasn't sure what to make of this situation. The truth was the truth after all. Now it was just a matter of what sort of emotions she was supposed to feel after hearing it.

_I shouldn't have asked_, Tenten thought, _we're just running in circles…_

"Then why not give someone like Leiko a chance. She practically worships you, and she has the nothing-special-appearance you're looking for. Besides, she's not as fanatic as--" _Bam!_ Temari cut her off with both hands slamming against the wall on both sides of her head again. Tenten flinched at the hollow ringing in her ears.

"You're not nothing special! You need to look into a mirror once in a while, Tenten, and see yourself for once," Temari said firmly, her face now close enough that Tenten could make out even the small crease in her forehead that showed the small ounce of annoyance that not even her voice dared to betray.

"You're lucky there's no light in here. With what you're wearing today, I'm surprised I managed to control myself on our way here. And for your information, yes, I did see Leiko's costume and, oh my fucking god, I wish, I _wish_! She could've spared me the pain. So I'm sorry no, I refuse to go out with her. I know you don't like me and all, but I honestly love being around you. It's weird, I don't really understand it. I like teasing you just to see how you'd brush me off or what kind of expression or comment you'd make, as much as I'd love for you to accept me. I just…" She dropped her arms and averted her eyes, briefly shutting them and sighed. "…Is it really that hard to learn to like me, just a little bit at least?"

Tenten cocked her head. She found herself enjoying this sheepish side of Temari. But the technical part of her got the best of her when she pointedly said, "That doesn't match up to what you said before."

"I suppose it doesn't huh? I don't know, Tenten, I really don't know. K-Kankurou says I talk about you like an obsessed teenaged girl. He asked me if I was in love, and I wasn't sure how to answer. I mean, it could be me over thinking things. I mean I've been pulling more or less the same techniques on other girls, except for the night where I saw you at the restaurant of course…and not to that extent. It usually doesn't take one or two tricks."

The brunette blinked confusedly as Temari went on. She could feel the heat gathering in her cheeks and was thankful for the lack of lighting in the storage closet. Silently, she wondered if that was the other girl's way of confessing to her, but she was as lost as she was at the moment so she highly doubted it.

"I don't hate you Temari," Tenten said. Temari quieted immediately, completely dismissing her rant to listen to her. An invisible weight seemed to have lifted off the blonde the moment Tenten said that. Even though she couldn't grasp the emotions she was feeling, she was sure of one thing: she was so happy she felt like she could walk on air if not for this confined space. "But I do think you're confusing yourself with love and lust. Either way, you're just so confused you're mixing me in with those emotions. Maybe I remind you of someone else or something, I don't know. I just don't believe you'd pick me out of everyone. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I do believe you deserve--"

Without warning, Temari lunged herself forward, her lips colliding with Tenten's in a kiss that caught the brunette off guard. The raw need that initiated it dwindled upon contact, transforming instead into something passionate and sincere, unlike any they've shared before. Tenten hesitated at first, but as things escalated, her arms found Temari's neck out of their own accord. Her mind was only semi-conscious of this sudden craving for the other girl's lips.

After what seemed like hours, the contact was finally broken when the need for oxygen became too great. Temari took a few moments to catch her breath, and was more than a little pleased to see that Tenten's mind was having trouble processing everything. Her eyes were half-lidded and her lips were still set in a slight pucker. Her arms were still wrapped around Temari's neck. The first kiss she had forced on her, as well as all the little ones in between, paled horribly in comparison.

"But I can't help but like you just a little more than the rest of the world. So deal with it," Temari replied with a smile that seemed to shine through the inky blackness. The corner of her mouth tugged upwards with her signature smirk when she added, "And it won't be long before you feel the same way, hm? That is if you don't already."

Tenten flushed a deeper shade of red. "G-get over yourself, y-you incorrigible jerk!" she said with less conviction than she had anticipated, pushing the other girl away.

"Ah, but it's because I'm like this that you can't resist me."

"Keep telling yourself that, I'm leaving."

"H-hey, wait! You can't leave yet!" Tenten heard the other girl rummaging through something, presumably her pockets. Seconds later, a rectangle of light appeared, causing Temari to flinch as her eyes attempted to adjust.

"Okay tell you what, we'll leave. Except you're gonna come with me, okay? Once we get out to the foyer again, you can tell me whether you want to stay or go home." Then she added with a devilish grin, "Or my house."

X

Ino's whole body was burning up. She had lost all track of time, and was determined to hold out to the end. Now it felt like a renegade, ready to drop everything that happened in the past just to suffice her carnal desires. She hated to say this but Haruno was doing a better job of getting her there than any other guy. She was torturing her--perhaps that was why it felt so good. Ino was begging for some kind of insertion in her mind, but didn't dare say it aloud. She was biting her tongue so hard to keep from making any indecent noises that she wouldn't be surprise if she would taste blood before this session was over.

Haruno was no doubt enjoying herself. Though unlike Ino, she was more than aware of the thirty minute cap. The second hand was ticking away, and every time she looked up, she could see that it was getting closer to the mark. _Three minutes_, she thought with a smirk without stilling her tongue for a second. She withdrew her roaming hands and slowed her pace, enjoying the feeling of her hands tightening their hold on her head in frustration. Ino was responding to her better than she had thought, even after taking this to be her first unofficial lesbian sex into account. If she had been so easy, Sakura thought, she should've done this at the very beginning.

With a grin against Ino's heated flesh, Haruno looked up at her. Her dulled blue eyes were half-lidded, her full lips parted as her breathing came in gasps. Ino had been trying not to make any unnecessary noises, but the moans were becoming harder and harder to suppress.

"Time," Haruno said with a wide smirk as she pulled away and stood up, taking a hold on Ino's wrists. Ino whimpered, but didn't immediately respond.

"Looks like you win. Congratulations, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Ino groaned at the highly uncomfortable feeling rising between her legs. She wiggled as much as she could in her position, but with Haruno's hold on her arms, it was only making things worse. Her mind was blank save that one single thought in her mind that Haruno had forced into her. She didn't care about anything else. She needed to come.

"Can't speak anymore, huh?" Haruno said, allowing herself a victorious smile. "Tell you what, I'll grant you one wish, but you'll have to say it--_beg_ for it even. Of course, it won't be free. If you want it, then the conditions of the game are nullified _and_ you will do _whatever_ I say from now until the beginning of winter break."

The blonde wasn't thinking. She needed only that one thing right now, and to hear she could obtain it was enough for her.

"G-Goddammit…Haruno…I don't c-care! F-f-finish what you started!" Ino managed to utter through gritted teeth.

"Nuh uh," Haruno said slyly, "not good enough. If you want it, then be nice. Say please."

"P-please…"

"Please what?" Ino averted her eyes, her face flushing even more as she whispered the rest of her sentence.

"I can't hear you," Haruno said though she had caught the key words.

"P-please…domealreadygoddammit!" Ino said as quickly as she could. Then with a sudden playful smirk, she added, "Haruno-sama."

Ino grinned in triumph when she saw the tint of colour spread across Haruno's cheeks, her face betraying the obvious surprise for a second before she recompose herself. She cleared her throat.

"That's good enough, I suppose," she said, her antagonistic self returning to the surface as she advanced further.

As promised, Haruno brought her to a moment of paradise, though it didn't take much considering how close she was already. It took no more than two fingers, much to Haruno's surprise. Still, she decided to play it nice and enhance it by returning to her previous position in order to make use of her tongue. That was partly because the noises Ino made were enough to make anyone blush, and it was only fueling the tension building up inside her--that she had to admit. The blonde writhed and wiggled around. When she was right at the very brink, Haruno lifted herself up, her hand not stilling for a second. Her free arm automatically slithered around her waist and across her back, pressing herself closer to her as she smothered the sounds coming from Ino's mouth with her own. Just as she had anticipated, the wave came but moments later. Haruno tightened her hold once the shaking started and stilled her arm when the contractions heightened.

Ino clawed onto her back, barely able to respond to the kiss. Soon, her breathing began to even out. When her vibrations began to subside as well, she felt a sense of loss when Haruno withdrew her hand. However, she still couldn't find the energy to let go of the other girl, and was just thankful that she hasn't gotten bitten for it yet. On the contrary, Haruno's arm remained wrapped around her in an almost protective fashion. Even after she finally calmed down and regained her full consciousness, they had remained in that position until Haruno finally said in her usual mockingly sarcastic tone, "Comfortable, Your Highness?"

"Just a little," Ino mumbled in response, still too tired to move.

"Since you brought it up, and I just love the ring of it, you'll be calling me Haruno-sama the whole time you remain my pet. That will be your first order," Haruno said with a humourless chuckle after a short pause in the conversation.

Ino's eyes flew open. Suddenly, with a burst of energy she didn't realize she had, she shoved the other girl away from her, eyes wide with horror. Haruno seemed unfazed--her smirk only seemed to be getting wider.

The "Prince" stepped backwards and sat down on the long-forgotten chair after throwing Ino's panties onto the blonde's lap. She crossed one leg over the other and rested her elbow on the armrest, balancing her chin delicately on the back of her hand as she did so. "If you haven't noticed already," she said suavely, "you're sitting on Tsunade's desk right now. And since this is the office of an administrator at this school, there's bound to be one of these in here." She grinned sardonically and lazily pointed to the far corner of the ceiling. Ino twisted around to see and gasped even though her mind was dismal to admit that it shouldn't have been a surprise--a security camera.

"Now, I realize that you probably had no intention of following up your promise just cause you weren't exactly in the right state of mind. So! Here is the fun part: if you bail, the entire school will see this video. And don't worry, from that angle, the handcuffs won't be visible."

Ino whimpered, and felt as if her whole life had just crashed in front of her eyes.

* * *

1 A Japanese dollar store.

* * *

**Alright guys, I hope you liked! Anyway, I moved from DA to Photobucket for my next set of pictures. Most of them are related to this story(even though my gallery only has 4 pictures atm).**

s432**DOT**photobucket**DOT**com/albums/qq46/SirWhiskeySox/

**May seem a little crude to you picky people, but I draw it all on when I'm bored, so hopefully I can be forgiven that way. If you're bored enough, drop me a message, and I'll draw something for you to colour for me, which I will then post in that gallery. **

_Update: Sorry guys I'm such a turd, the album is now public xD_

So once again, review! I love the support xD And just a heads-up, I'll be taking a break from this story for a while.


	13. Questions Without Answers

**A/N: Sorry for the wait guys! Suffered a small writer's block, made about a billion attempts to get going again. Really sorry if this chapter was a bit pointless and just bleh. I thought it was bleh, but it's an introductory one so forgive me! Anyway I tried to get this done before winter break and look! 5 minutes before the day school starts! ...I guess I was too late huh?**

Chapter 13: Questions Without Answers

"Now, if you would hold still. Not that you could move much in your current state."

She chuckled, a low crudely-humoured laugh that made Ino's hair stand on end. The blonde had never felt so trapped in her life. What Haruno just said was true, she couldn't move a muscle. Her entire body was numb with overriding emotions. After all this humiliation, she knew that it would only get worse from here--starting from the point where she became Faust for simple short-term pleasure.

Haruno leaned in again, her arms reaching behind her. The blonde felt her ear twitch at the sound of a slight click, followed by shuffling and two more of different pitch. "Hm, then again, maybe adding a suffix to my name would be a bit much. After all, it'd make our relationship so _distant_. So tell ya what. Call me what you want, but keep in mind that I have the tape. Though having a little bit of initiative is good too if you know what I mean. I am still your master. Besides that little point, there is something else you should know. For the entire time I have you on a leash, you will be living with me at Temari's. I'll be nice and let you stay for about…a month. Though rest assured, that won't be the end."

Ino's head snapped up. "Wait, w-what? Isn't the video enough?"

"Sure it is, but I still don't trust you. Besides, isn't it more fun this way? Oh and don't forget, I can prolong your stay if I wanted to. I advise you to be on your best behaviour, 'kay? Now let's get outta here. You can call your parents once we're in the car."

Ino said nothing. Instead, with her head down, she allowed Haruno to pull her off the table. Being on her feet so suddenly caused her to stumble forward a few steps, but she quickly used the wall to steady herself.

Haruno wasted no time after that. She had handcuffed herself to Ino. Even though she knew she wouldn't escape after this, it didn't hurt to take some precautions. Out of the hallway she dragged her, the bright decorative lights of the foyer blinding her for a fraction of a second. She surprised the blonde when she placed her in front of her and ushered her through the crowd in attempt to conceal the cuffs.

After reaching the car, Haruno entered through the passenger side first to make entry for Ino a little easier. Once they were both inside, she unlocked the handcuffs and stored them in the slot on the door. Maybe it was her weary mind speaking out, but Ino couldn't help but think Haruno could very well be the perfect gentleman if she tried. Inwardly, she hoped she could let that side of her shine through if only to make her stay a little less vexing.

"What should I say to them?" Ino asked warily as the other girl pulled out of their parking space.

"I don't know, haven't you done this before?"

The blonde frowned. "What makes you think that?"

"Oh, I don't know, staying over at some bad boyfriend's house? Does _abusive_ boyfriend ring any bells? C'mon you're good with excuses."

"Okay, whatever. I didn't bring my phone." Haruno rolled her eyes. Gripping the wheel with her left hand, she dug into her slacks and produced a flat, black brick. Ino stared at her strangely as she received the phone from her. "I expected something flashier from you."

"I'm not made of money you know. And I don't use it often anyway so what's the point?"

Ino curiously examined at the chipped screen and scratched up body and flipped it open. The vivid screen burst into life with big bold letters announcing the time--9:44pm--upon a blank white background. Her thumb hovered above the first number of her dad's cell phone hesitantly, trying to think of a good excuse at the same time. Sakura glanced over briefly and said, "What? Are your parents difficult?"

"What kind of excuse could settle for a whole month's leave? Any parent would go crazy. How the hell were you able to overlook that?" Ino responded irritably.

The other girl didn't reply, her gaze hardening. Ino stared at her confusedly, unsure if she said something to light another fuse. The two of them fell into a complete silence, something that was extremely awkward on Ino's part. Instead of coming up with a good excuse, Ino was too busy trying to predict the outcome of her future stay in hell. Being alone in silence with Haruno in an enclosed space was hell enough. Now she had to live with her for the next two months. _What have I done to deserve this?_ She thought, slouching in her seat. _I would hate to be the unfortunate parents who raised her. Seeing how she reacted to the subject, she's probably those problematic kids who think they're so invincible they run away from home. Or her parents ran away from her. I totally would. _

At the next traffic light, Sakura turned to the fidgety wreck beside her. Ino, feeling her otherwise nonchalant gaze, stared back nervously. Her eyes dropped to her hand automatically when it began inching towards the passenger seat. She involuntarily flinched when a red siren blared inside her mind. "Calm down," Haruno said with a derisive shake of the head. She moved in with her palm up. "I just want the phone."

Ino laughed sheepishly and handed it over, feeling almost hysterical. "Y-yeah sure, it's yours after all."

"Give me her number."

"Who?"

"Your mother I guess, or whoever the hell raised you."

"I don't have a mother."

"Then your father's," she said dispassionately, and rather boredly. Her response to Ino's confession was unlike everyone else, and caught Ino off guard. The blonde would've liked to retort back or even slap her for being so insensible, but the last thing she wanted to do right now was get her to hate her even more. Hesitantly, she complied. After pressing the corresponding buttons, the pink-haired girl cleared her throat.

"Mr. Yamanaka," Haruno said a professional tone. "This is the principal calling from--no, please, rest assured she is fine. Tsunade, yes. No, I'm not married." Ino held her breath. _What the hell does she think she's doing?_ _And what the fuck is Dad saying to her!_

"No, the reason I am calling is because you have been a little misinformed. No, please, calm down Mr. Yamanaka, she's fine. Yes. She did, yes." Haruno rolled her eyes impatiently but did nothing more. "Yes, I was getting to that. Our school has chosen her to be part of an exchange program. Oh yes, for only the best students. Of course, I pick them myself. Why yes, thank you. About thirty days…if all goes well. Yes, that is what I said. Ye--" Haruno flinched and pulled the phone away from her ear momentarily. "Sir, I assure you it will be fine. It was extremely last minute, so no forms were sent home. Yes, she must've forgotten. No, all students were supposed to. Hold on, let me grab a pen. Mmhmm. Doctor…sorry could you repeat that? Oh! Hm, I know him. What a small world! He was an old friend of mine. Oh? Yes, well I don't see him much anymore. Busy, busy, busy." Haruno made an exasperated face. "No, you don't have to worry at all. If anything should happen, I will take full responsibility. No, no problem. Thank you. Oh, no. She will be given a uniform. Yes, she will be well accommodated. No, unfortunately the dorms do not allow phone calls on a regular basis. Yes, I'm afraid so. W-where is this school, you ask? Ah, it's a fully paid trip to…ah… Poland! Europe, yes. Beside Germany. Yes, it is rather amazing. The school board had some excellent sponsors. No, just her. Oh yes, I agree."

The conversation dwelled on for the majority of the ride to Temari's until finally, Haruno snapped her phone shut and let out a long, wary sigh. Straightening up, she glanced at the bewildered girl beside her. She grinned a playful, boyish (almost cute even) grin, unable to suppress her pride with her usual cold demeanour. "I suggest you learn some Polish before heading home."

Ino stared, slack-jawed and undeniably impressed. "I can't believe you managed to bullshit your way through that."

"Well, believe it or not, I actually learned a few tricks from Tsunade." She cleared her throat, earning a curious look from Ino.

"Too many stays in the office?"

"Every day is like a stay in the office when you're living with her."

"Y-you live with her?" Ino gasped with a look of sheer bewilderment evident on her features.

"Not for the next month I'm not," the pink-haired girl said with a cat-like grin.

"Is she…your mother?"

Sakura scoffed. "No, thank god."

"That explains a lot, you know."

"Elaborate, if you will."

"You know, how you managed to get away with so many things."

"Please, you don't honestly think she goes easy on me do you? You can't even begin to understand what goes on at home."

"That's your problem, isn't it? It still doesn't make up for the fact that you get off easier than other students."

"Hm, I suppose. Depends how skilled the other person is," she said with a smirk.

"You know I really hate your type," Ino snapped. For a second, the other girl looked a little taken aback, but soon after she felt her heart skip a beat in alarm when Sakura shot her a dangerously amused look. Just then, Ino felt like she had treaded into a soft spot. With Haruno, it probably wasn't the best idea. Unfortunately, seeing as this was the first time the antagonistic girl had shown any sign of weakness, Ino didn't want to give up this chance to probe around and find more.

"And what's 'my type', princess?" Haruno swerved around a corner and parked the car in the nearest spot. A space in front of a red fire hydrant, as the blonde noticed. She turned to look at her, a stern, almost condescending gaze.

"Arrogant, aggressive, and hostile to begin with," Ino replied undauntedly, holding her shamrock eyes firmly. Making a bold move, she continued, "You're no different from a man, if not worse. Your sexual harassment is never-ending. It's probably because you have an ego so big that you can't even admit how lonely you are, thinks aggression solves all problems, and the type who won't take no for an answer, and think you're invincible because you can fight, _and _you think you're so cool with your motorcycle and chains. In a nutshell, you just think you're all that just because you scare others. If you didn't have Temari and Tsunade on your side, you'd just be a pathetic--"

"So you think you know me, huh?" She intervened, her volume low and her expression inscrutable. "You know, I'm not going to argue with you. Make what you want of me, but next time…I strongly advise you to keep it to yourself. If you know what's good for you anyway."

As she spoke, Haruno inched toward the indifferent blonde. Ino could tell she was agitated through the weight of her words, but her nearly monotone voice sent a chill up Ino's spine. "You know what your type is?" she whispered when she arrived inches from Ino's face. "It's pretty simple. I'll even sum it up in single words for your sake. You're nosy, naïve, co-dependent, annoying, selfish, impudent, indulgent…voluptuous, and delicious."

_D-d-d-d-delicious? _Ino thought alarmingly. She felt herself pinking up.

Sakura snorted. "Too bad you got no brains, huh?"

Ino narrowed her eyes and was about to deny when it dawned on her. She should've figured it out ages ago that the offensive wouldn't work on someone like her. Just for fun, she decided to try another tactic. After all, what did she have to lose?

Haruno watched her intently, as if challenging a quirky reply that would nail the last nail on her coffin. Hesitantly, Ino took this opportunity to reach out and cup her cheek, gazing into her eyes as sincerely as she could manage. "Too bad you've got such a malicious personality," she cooed, enjoying wide-eyed confusion on Haruno's face. "You have the greenest eyes I've ever scene. Has anyone ever told you how gorgeous they are?"

"W-what are you doing, Yamanaka?"

_Is she seriously…flustered?_ Ino thought, noticing the edginess in her voice. She let her hand fall from her cheek, gently sliding it along her arm. Grinning triumphantly to herself, she propelled herself forward to catch her lips in a soft, innocent kiss. She smiled when she felt her stiffen, but pulled back before she got too carried away to observe her disconcerted escort.

The usually cold and unapproachable girl frowned. Her posture was still rigid and uncomfortable even as she retreated back to her side of the car. It was only when Haruno diverted her attention to withdrawing the car from its current illegal parking space, that Ino allowed herself a pleased smirk. _Ha-ha-ha! Ino: 1, pink bastard: 0_. _Think I'm easy, huh? No brains, huh? I'll show you, you blackmailing coward. _

Throughout the rest of the ride she didn't say a word. Ino was sure she had found her weakness now.

X

"Alright we should be the only ones here right now," Sakura said as she pushed open the door. "You've been here before but here's a quick rundown. All bedrooms are upstairs. First two up the right staircase are guest rooms, then its Gaara's, Kankurou's, and Temari's room. First one up the left is Grandma's room. This house belongs to her, you know, so I expect you to respect that. Bathroom is across the hall like you saw last time. Except the two guest rooms we'll be staying in has an interconnected one."

Outside, the white villa seemed almost daunting. It was secluded in groves of green, away from the rest of the houses in the neighbourhood. The front entrance alone was impressive enough with its columns and massive double oak doors, accentuated with smooth marble steps and a professionally tended garden. Two stone statues of what appeared to be hourglasses, or gourds, stood guard on either side of the steps (1). _That's an interesting design in lieu of the average lion, _Ino thought when she passed by them.

Inside, Ino glanced around. She was impressed, and envied Temari for being able to live in a first-class house so luxurious but homey at the same time. One of the first things Ino noticed was the marble flooring of the foyer. It was laid out and designed with the same symbol as depicted in the statues outside, only it was a few times bigger. Ino contemplated asking Haruno about them for a second, but was soon distracted by the modern decor that felt oddly disconnected with the exterior of the house.

Though she had been here before, she couldn't help but relive the awe she felt the first time.

_I could get used to this_, Ino thought as Sakura led her across the foyer towards the living room. "Living room is through this hallway, but you could go through the other hallway too. It's also connected to the kitchen and dining room. Those glass doors lead outside. There's a bathroom in the hall we just came through and on the other side there's a study, well more like a library really. That's where the computers are, if you bother doing your homework, but don't you dare try anything on them. Anyway, this house is pretty much laid out symmetrically."

"How 'bout those stairs we just passed by? The one with the open door."

"Basement."

"I could've told you that," Ino said with a roll of her eyes.

"I guess there's no harm in showing you, seeing as you'll end up snooping anyway."

As Ino followed Sakura downstairs, she felt a small jolt of excitement as well as a sense of danger. Everyone knows that the basement is where things tend to happen. They passed threw a small corridor and a few doors before coming up to a large space. The television screen took up most of the wall at the furthest end. Accompanying it on either side were lavish sound systems and shelves that seemed to hold every movie, every game for every console ever released. Isolated in its own special shelf was an extensive collection of music.

Something was playing on the screen, muted with subtitles. However, the first thing Ino noticed was a familiar face staring at them from the couch, blurring out the rest of the world around.

"You're back early," Sakura said. The other person shot her a look and pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. Raising a brow, Haruno headed toward the armchair adjacent to the couch. She nearly stumbled into the seat when she saw the scene before her. Her eyebrows shot up, her mouth forming a surprised "O". A moment later, her expression transforming into a sly one that Ino was so used to seeing, she shook her head and mouthed some brash encouragement or another. Then she gave Ino a sharp look, nodding in her direction.

Temari twisted around and grinned at the disoriented blonde. Another look Ino was familiar with.

Rooted on her spot behind the couch, she stood on her tiptoes and glanced over Temari's head. What she saw forced her to do a double take. She inched toward the couch and nervously gasped the back, peering down. Even at the close range, she couldn't believe her eyes.

The brunette sophisticate she had grown to love for the past few years laid, comfortable and fast asleep. She looked so relaxed and serene, so unlike how she behaved during the day. She loosely clung do Temari's arm, her head resting on her stomach with the rest of her body positioned partly on her side between the sandy-blonde's legs. _Just what kind of witch craft did that prick use to charm you? _Ino thought, trying not to let any sign of antagonism surface. Though despite her discovering a newfound conviction in supporting the couple just a few hours prior, she still couldn't bring herself to believe Tenten would go so low for some human comfort.

Ino reached down and poked her, ignoring Temari's acute frown, and hoped this wouldn't consequence in more trouble. Tenten let out a muffled groan, her brows coming together in annoyance, and snuggled deeper into Temari. Temari shook her head and wrapped an arm around her waist protectively, much to Ino's annoyance. She gestured for Ino to be quiet, followed by a finger across the throat as a warning. Ino flinched and withdrew. She glanced at Haruno, who returned it with a fox-like grin. With another gesture from Temari, she stood up and headed toward the stairs, grabbing Ino by the wrist as she passed by.

X

Later that night, Ino sat at her desk, calculus homework open but untouched. Her room was dark, though the distracted blonde barely notice. Only the glow of her desk lamp allowed her to see anything at all. Her mind was too filled with the day's events to concentrate on complex equations. Besides, it was only a little past midnight on a Friday night. She had spent the past hour or so in here, after Haruno went off to her own room. She would have plenty of time to do it over the weekend seeing as she didn't have anything better to do in this prison. This luxurious prison that is, with the most stick-up-the-ass prison guard in the world.

Despite being in captivity, one of the most prominent subjects probing her mind was Tenten. Was she captured too? But she looked so comfortable, like she wanted to be here. "She's going to get hurt again" was one thought that ran through repeatedly. Sure she trusted the older girl's judgement, but these two were forces to be reckoned with, not just your average mindless teenyboppers. Chances were, Temari was just going out of her way to get in her pants, and she was staging all of this.

Then she thought, _what if that's the real reason I was held hostage--to be back-up, or to blackmail her into it_. Then again, this was mostly Haruno's fault that much she knew. Honestly, she was absolutely clueless as to why Haruno was going so far because of that little thing she did. It was her job, even delinquents should understand!

_Wait a second_. Ino gripped her pencil tightly, a sudden thought striking her. _She knows me. Before all this, she knew me. _

Subconsciously, she chewed the end of her pencil in deeper thought. Her perfect brows forming small wrinkles in concentration. _She knew I didn't have much of an appreciation of art, that's the most recent one. She's purposely picking on me for the trouble _she_ caused. Let's see…she knew I was a friend of Tenten since the day I met her. Oh! And she was completely unfazed when I told her I didn't have a mom. It's like she already knew from the start. Now that I think about it, she knew I grew up a botanist and had a _lot_ of curiosity. Maybe she planned that thing with Hinata too, just to beat me up. Jesus, who the fuck would _do_ that kind of thing? She knows a lot of things about me doesn't she? And all I know about that pink bastard is just that! She's an angry, disturbed, pink bastard!_

At that thought, the blonde let out a muffled whine, burying her face in her crossed arms atop her desk. She felt gross, like her life had somehow been violated without her noticing for the past seventeen years. _The reason for all this_. Ino idly repeated her words in her mind. _What have I done to become the 'reason' for my own torture?_ She had broken some hearts before, but all she ever targeted were boys--stupid males who think with their groin most of the time. Haruno wasn't interested in that, was she? No, she would never play with someone's genuine feelings. She'd gotten several love letters from girls before, but all of which she was damn sure she rejected. Nothing made sense. She tried to think of things she had done to deserve any type of vengeance, but none of them seemed to fit in with this whole "reason" thing.

She ruffled her bangs in frustration, wishing more than anything that both she and Tenten could go back in time and avoid all this. Tenten may be reverted back to her introverted self, but at least she wouldn't be hurt in the long run. At least she thought so.

_Forget it. A shower sounds good right about now. _

Pushing herself out of her chair, she trudged towards the bathroom door. For a second, was about to strip down and jump in without a thought, but it occurred to her that she had nothing prepared. Not even a towel---and definitely no underwear. However, this was the first time she had entered the bathroom. Although it wasn't big, it was definitely grand. In fact, it was pretty narrow. On one side was a tub with a showerhead embedded into the wall, with a maroon cloth curtain pulled to one side. Behind it was a short dividing wall, hiding the toilet. The other side were counters and two sinks, the wall covered with mirrors on every edge. The light tint of room's peach walls and hardwood flooring gave this room a whole different feel than the rest of the house.

As she passed by the tub, she noticed it had recently been used. Though, oddly enough, the counters were clean and untouched without even so much as a cup and toothbrush.

Dismissing all these trivial details, Ino reached for the door that led to Haruno's room. She faltered for a second, but grabbed the knob before she could retreat back to the safety of her own room. Cracking open the door, she could see that the room was dark, except for the desk lamp opposite the door. A figure sat, silhouetted, typing away on a laptop with books strewn all around. Nervously, Ino cleared her throat.

Haruno turned around and cocked an eyebrow. "You know there's such a thing called knocking." She rested her arm on the back of her seat, looking up at Ino in slight annoyance. The blonde wasn't surprised to see that her pink hair was wet--she was the only one who could've used the bathroom after all. A towel hung from her neck on top of a grey hooded sweatshirt. From what the Ino could see, she was wearing running shorts as well. But what seemed the most familiar was the pair of red half-rimmed glasses she had seen that day at Iruka's daycare place. _Ooh, that was a day to remember_,she thought uncomfortably.

"Er, well. Y'know, since you dragged me out here without notice, I kinda don't have anything prepared."

"What are you talking about? Condoms?" she replied, looking at her pointedly.

"No, of course not! I'm talking about clothes? Underwear, maybe?"

"Oh."

"Don't tell me…"

"I'd figured you'd come by eventually." Haruno smirked and turned back to her laptop. "I asked a couple people, guys you fucked in the past, y'know. Got some people to do the fun stuff. Go look on your bed, there should be enough sets of underwear for you to get by. Towels are in the closet out in the hall. Check under the counter for toiletries. I told you you were going to be well accommodated."

"And clothes?"

"You can borrow my stuff to sleep in if you want. I laid out some stuff in that cubbyhole shelf beside you. Sorry to disappoint but I don't have any camisoles or negligees or whatever else you wear. You can sleep naked for all I care, just don't lose my stuff if you're taking them. I'll get you clothes tomorrow morning."

Without hesitation, Ino grabbed the closest shirt on top and a pair of shorts below and hurried back to her room to prepare for her shower.

_Fuck, now she knows my sizes too,_ Ino thought as she exited the bathroom after an hour of fumbling around in the bathroom. She had earlier returned to her room to see a small bag full of lingerie, lacy things that Ino usually never wore. Though since Haruno could monopolize her in any way now, she doubted she would go easy on her. However, after a check of the bathroom, she found a wide range of products ready for her, from hair products to cosmetics to lotions of various fragrances. It was definitely more than she had at home, which was saying something. As uncomfortable as she felt in her new underwear, she hoped the rest of the "accommodations" would make up for it. Everything that was provided for her so far was more than she could ask for.

The blonde sighed and collapsed on her bed, spread-eagle towards the ceiling. She closed her eyes, losing herself in thought again. _Then again, maybe I'm wrong about this whole thing. Telling from all the stuff she's giving me she doesn't seem to know much about me after all. _She frowned. _Then that doesn't match up to the rest of the stuff I came up with! But isn't the rest of the proof more important than bra sizes and cosmetics? After all, those are pretty hard to pinpoint. Maybe she used to be a stalker of mine or something. God! I don't know. Annoying son of a bitch. Look on the bright side! Maybe she'll help you with your calculus homework if she feels nice enough. She can be a pretty thoughtful person, and besides, at least her clothes smell nice…_

Her eyes shot open in panic. What concluded her reverie was definitely not on her agenda. _Did I just think 'her clothes smell nice'? Jesus fucking Christ I'm going out of my fucking mind! Okay, calm down, Ino, calm down. This isn't the first time you've thought weird things about that girl, just don't dwell on it. You're not a masochist! Alright Ino, let's just…stop thinking and go to sleep. _

She got up and crawled beneath her blankets. It took a while for the sleep to come, but she was exhausted beyond her own comprehension. When it did, however, she sorely wished it hadn't. It must've been her glasses, because that night she dreamed vividly about Haruno's encounter with Temari. From the way she squirmed in defiance when Temari had talked her down, to the way her mouth moved on the brink of ecstasy. The thin sheen of sweat and the certain pressure she had applied when she dug her nails into Temari's back. Everything she did was in accordance to that day.

Only this time, it wasn't Temari satisfying her, and her brilliant green eyes, without a drop of venom, was exposed to the world.

X

"Oh my god, Ino! What the hell happened to you?" Tenten exclaimed as she was about to set down a plate of pancakes on the kitchen table. "And what are you _wearing_?"

"Okay, Tenten, stop. We need to talk. I did _not_ sleep well last night," Ino said, taking a seat on one of the dining chairs. The last question she wanted to answer was about her clothes. Haruno had handed it to her at 6:30am that morning. Ino assumed she forgot it was Saturday. One glance and she knew what it was: a short, black, French maid outfit. It was a one-piece that went right down to her mid-thighs, outlining her every curve, complete with the headgear and a useless apron sewn on the skirt. It was this or back to Little Red, but she knew she couldn't refuse anyhow.

She watched as Tenten strode around the island to the refrigerator, and wondered if she should've asked the same question. She wore an oversized dress shirt and a pair of short shorts--a definite boyfriend combo, in Ino's opinion. They were no doubt Temari's, which made her wonder just what they were up to last night.

"Yeah, of course. I _really_ didn't expect to see you here."

"I'm here against my will, okay? More importantly, what are _you_ doing here? I saw you in the basement yesterday looking pretty comfortable."

At that, Tenten blushed and didn't say anything as she retrieved a carton of orange juice.

"You didn't let her do anything to you, did you?" Ino said, eyeing her critically.

"No! What do you take me for?"

From the defiance in her voice, Ino could tell she was telling the truth. "Then where did you stay last night?"

"Her room."

"Really!" she said, her eyebrows shooting up.

"Yeah, but I didn't let her touch me. All we did was share a bed, okay? Stop looking at me like that! The day she gets into my pants is the day Haruno gets into yours."

Ino coughed. "That's a horrible analogy!"

"Well, I'm just saying."

"You're not…falling for her are you?"

"God I hope not," Tenten said distantly as she continued to set the table.

"You'll get hurt."

"Mm, I can take care of myself," she said, giving her a small smile. At that moment, Ino understood that it didn't matter what she said, she wouldn't be able to change a thing. As a friend and third party, the only thing she could really do was support her and hope she doesn't fall, but be ready to catch her when she does. She's coped with most of her broken relationships well, the only exception being Neji. But seeing as how it was Temari, even though Ino didn't know what happened behind-the-scenes, she knew it wouldn't be like what she and Neji had.

"Oh! Tenten-kun, what ever are you up to in here?" The two turned in the direction of the new voice by the doorway. It was a small old woman, dressed in silk pyjamas. Ino could see that this woman had once been very beautiful. Even now, she looked to be an aristocrat of sorts. This woman could only have been the grandmother Haruno mentioned yesterday.

"My! Who is this?" she said, flashing Ino a radiant smile.

"Uh, my name is Yamanaka Ino…ma'am," Ino replied nervously.

"Oh, please! Not so formal! So you are Ino, hm? You have been here, am I wrong?" She moved over to the head of the table and sat down.

"Once, very briefly."

"Well, you are very pretty. You got on the bad side of Sakura-kun, did you?"

"Uh, yeah. Somehow."

"She's really a very nice girl, though. I don't think you have to worry too much. You have to admit," she said, examining the blonde, "she sure has a flair for coming up with creative ways for persecution, doesn't she? Though I don't know what happened, it's nice to have more company. By the way, Tenten, thank you very much for preparing breakfast for us. It really does save me a lot of work. Who knew Mah-jong was such a tiresome game!"

"Ah, it's no problem. It's the least I could do to repay you for last time," Tenten said with a grin, sitting down across from Ino.

Before Ino could inquire about "last time", Haruno came in and took a seat beside Ino, followed by Kankurou behind her. She casted a nervous glance at the pink-haired girl, last night's dream suddenly resurfacing. Unable to help herself, she blushed.

Though telling from their behaviour, Ino figured it was one of those households where everyone sits down and waits for everyone else before some sort of Morning Prayer thing--though none of the siblings really seemed the religious type. Either way, the blonde wasn't about to go out of her way to displease.

"Morning everyone," he chirped energetically, taking a seat two away from Tenten.

"Where were you last night?" Haruno smirked.

"Some after-party sort of thing Gaara got invited to, man pretty hectic stuff. Good thing I held out and didn't drink, else we may be dead by now. Where were you guys? We would've brought you along but we couldn't find you anywhere."

"Ah, don't worry about it, we were busy."

"Oh, Grandmother," Kankurou said, "how was the Mah-jong thing?"

"Ah, very tiring, just as I was telling these two, but so much fun!"

"I hope you didn't play with money, now did you?" Kankurou said giving her a chastising look teachers would give to elementary students when they do something wrong.

"No, no, of course not. I was never one for gambling, you know that. I made it very clear at the beginning of the game."

Then, out of nowhere and without much of a sound, Gaara appeared out of nowhere and sat down at the other end of the table. The entire room fell quiet.

"Where is Temari?" the redhead said boredly.

"Phone call I think," his brother replied.

"I'm hungry."

"Well then!" The grandmother said happily, "Let us eat before Tenten's hard work goes to waste now."

Ino blinked. _All this time we were just waiting for Gaara? _She looked across at Tenten confusedly, who just shrugged, sharing much of the same expression. After that, chatter flew all around the table in every different direction, with Grandma showing the most intrigue in Tenten and Ino and Haruno thoroughly ignoring the blonde beside her (much to her relief. Conversation at such a range just might kill her when that dream was so fresh in her mind). After Temari showed up, seated beside Tenten, the room got even more exciting.

After breakfast, it was decided that the four would just spend a lazy Saturday together while Gaara and Kankurou went out to spend the day with their friends. Grandmother, on the other hand, went about preparing a small social gathering scheduled to take place in the house later that day, forcing the girls downstairs, not that any of them minded.

"Okay, this we're going to be in the studio if you two need anything," Temari said, tapping the first door of the narrow corridor in indication.

"You know what will happen if you try to escape," Haruno added with a sinister grin.

As the two slipped through the door, Ino heard Temari mutter, "…last project before I have to drop this course too…" She heard her companion's shocked response, but everything became muffled once the door was shut.

"Well, what say we go play some games?" Tenten said, gesturing to the wide screen.

"Yeah sure. By the way, do you wanna switch clothes?"

"Hell no. Anyway since I can kick your ass in practically every game, you can choose."

"Ugh, seriously! I don't want to wear this all day, it's so uncomfortable!"

"Not much more than the usual clothes you wear, if you ask me."

"Well no one's asking you. Here, I don't know, just pop it in," she said, handing her friend a random game box.

"Uh, Soul Caliber? Are you serious?" She shrugged and checked to see if the PS3 was plugged in before placing the game in. If she wanted to see big-breasted women getting their clothes hacked away by big burly men, then that's fine with her. Fighting Ino wouldn't be much of a challenge anyhow.

"Hey did you hear what Temari said earlier?" Ino asked, examining the wireless controller idly.

"About what? Going to them for help?"

"No, no, dropping art."

"Mmm…nope, why would she do that? Kankurou said she loved art."

"Yeah, I mean if she had a studio then it's pretty obvious isn't it? I don't think that's the only course she's dropped so far either."

"Well, maybe she's just trying other courses. C'mon, Ino, random is the way to go," she said, indicating the character selection screen.

"Sure, it's not like I know any of these people. Anyway--Oh my fucking god. What. The. Fuck. Am I? And holy shit, your boobs are _huge_. What's your name? Ivy? I missed my name. His ugliness is so distracting."

"You're Voldo. Just some dead thing I assume."

"That's just not fair, Tenten! Look he doesn't even turn around! I died! What the hell! I died! You should at least teach me how to play first!" Ino whined. Tenten laughed and complied, pointing out all the buttons. During moments like these, the two could forget all their troubles and just have fun. It seemed like forever since they had fun together like this, just the two of them. Of course, if Shikamaru was here, it'd be just like they used to be before they all joined the Student Council. Back then, Chouji was with them too. He was a childhood friend of Shikamaru and Ino, but moved away two years ago when his family finally decided to open up a dessert store downtown. Even though they seldom saw him, they tried to make visits when they could.

It was moments like these where they felt like kids again, just having fun without a care in a world. It was almost a reminiscent of those times where cooties overruled romance, and a simple "I'm telling on you!" was enough to tell people off.

"Argh! This is like…rape! Big black armoured man with a giant scythe versus the evil-looking Lolita-wearing girl with the flimsy pointy thing, this is fetishism gone wrong!" Ino exclaimed as she moved her character in attempt to run, only to let Tenten score a Ring-Out.

"Hey you chose her. I told you to go random. Oh, and Ino, you still haven't filled me in on why you're here."

"Like I said, I'm here against my will and can't talk about it. And _please_ don't make me or I'll suffer. A lot."

"It concerns Haruno though, doesn't it?"

"Maybe. Oh and Tenten, about Temari…"

"Yeah?"

"Doesn't she seem suspicious to you? Actually, both of them seem pretty suspicious don't you think?"

"Now that you mention it," she said, putting the game on pause. She turned and fixed her eyes on Ino, her expression serious and almost grave. "I almost forgot, but Leiko told me something last night. I haven't had the chance to confirm it with Temari though. And, y'know seeing as its Leiko, your guess is as good as mines, but apparently those fervent stalkers found out something."

"Okay…go on…"

"You know how we need to have a minimum of four courses? Well she only goes to art. Her father's just an ordinary man who stayed in a hotel on his last visit."

"Then she's a skipper with divorced parents? Hey, looks can be deceiving. Just because he looks ordinary doesn't mean he is."

"Yeah, that's true. But then why would she drop art? Plus, she also brought up the notion that she's in an underground organization, out dealing drugs and stuff during school hours."

"That…would be dangerous for us, right? But aren't you just jumping to conclusions?"

"Yeah I hope so."

"You don't smell drugs on her right? Marijuana? Or see hickeys and stuff if she was a pimp or something." Ino scratched the back of her nick, determined to justify her strange behaviour for the sake of Tenten, and even herself.

"Nothing more than smoke," Tenten admitted, "and no hickeys as far as I know. But if she was in some sorta underground organization…don't they hurt people?"

"Ah, you've just watched too many triad movies?"

"They have a hierarchy don't they? So god knows what she does."

"Really, Tenten, I think you're just overreacting. It's probably nothing. Maybe they won the lottery, or--" The two of them froze when the phone suddenly rang. They glanced at each other, but didn't dare touch it now that that idea was out in the open. Then there was silence, followed by a jolt of static from the far wall.

"Temari? Baki is on the line for you, it's urgent." It was Grandmother's voice through the intercom.

Unexpectedly, the two heard the far door bang open, followed by rapid footsteps. Temari came into view soon after, wiping her red-covered hands on her paint-splattered overalls before diving for the phone.

"This is Temari," she said calmly, trying her best to balance the phone without getting them dirty. "No, I'm meeting those bastards on Monday. Yes, all the tedious work is done. Is that all you called me for? Father entrusted this job to me, so of course you can trust me. Oh god no, I told him to hold off on that! Okay fine, as much as I'd hate to see him, I think a little meeting is long overdue…especially now that he brought this up. How could he even _consider_ such a thing? What? _Tomorrow_? Okay, fine but keep it discreet. I just don't want this to make the papers. Good. Bye."

With that, she retreated back through the corridor, steam practically coming out of her ears. Ino gaped at Tenten.

"Let's…pretend we didn't hear any of that," The blonde said, turning back to the paused screen stiffly.

"And that it's not what I'm starting to think it to be."

"Let's just play and forget all this."

"Yeah, definitely agreed."

"…Does Baki sound like a gangster name to you?"

X

1/ The Sunagakure symbol.

**A/N: As usual, drop off a review please! Constructive critism much encouraged! Also, I'll be trying to get a new poll up with every update, so please check! It helps me out :D **

**Vote your favourite character now on my profile page x3  
**


	14. A Matter of Sex and Attraction

**IMPORTANT: Chapter one has been rewritten and replaced in this update.**** So I'd love it if you guys would read it and drop off a review for it, and hopefully, this one's more attention grabbing than the other one.**

X

Chapter 14: A Matter of Sex and Attraction

The night was calm without the slightest gust of wind outside. Inside, however, was a very different story. Neither Temari nor Sakura had left the room for the duration of the day. The sky had already darkened and, although the main floor was booming with laughter from Grandmother's gathering of the most prestigious old women Ino had ever seen, her own room was as desolate as the night before.

Ino had only caught a brief glimpse of the crowd of women in the living room, but all of them, including Grandmother, all had one thing in common--their obvious self-confidence. Each of them stood tall, bearing a smile so cheerful, Ino had doubts about whether or not their lives were anything to smile about at all. These were women who led a long life, mid-to-late-sixties perhaps, pulling through every obstacle in the way and set on enjoying their lives. They were dressed in colours, nothing flashy, but looked beautiful despite their age, as Ino was sure they had been during their time.

_I bet they wouldn't be laughing now if they knew Temari was in a gang,_ Ino thought bitterly. _Or maybe they used to be part of it too._ Yet despite the thought, she couldn't help but feel a pang of envy inside her. She could only wish to grow up to be one so admirable. Maybe then she would love herself more. She didn't understand it--everyone else loved her, so why does she feel so disgusting sometimes? Was it because of her hobby? She hadn't had any _sex_ in while, she realized (consented sex anyway, remembering Haruno's incident). For the longest time, she figured that men existed to make women happy, that was why she went through so many of them. But all the attention she had received seemed empty somehow.

She shook her head, trying to clear it from her unnatural thoughts. _What's gotten into you?_ She asked herself. _You've been single for too long. How long has it been since my last breakup with Kiba? Two months? Yeah, definitely too long. I don't know how Tenten does it, I'm going insane already. But I promised myself to stop fooling around and focus on school. Really, boys just aren't worth the risk of flunking my last year. _

But her mind couldn't help but stray. While she sat alone in her room, with Tenten working on her own projects downstairs in the library, trying to take another stab at calculus, she began to question herself. Where _was_ she going in life? She was pretty, yes, she knew that--pretty, but not beautiful--but how far could she go with that? She could be a model. She was a little on the short side but who knows? There was never really something she enjoyed more than prettying herself up with the knowledge that it would be appreciated. She didn't even know what she was good at in the first place.

She sighed and stared down at her homework. She had already spent the past thirty minutes trying to figure it out, successfully accomplishing a full set of two questions. As hard as she tried, she just couldn't grasp onto the third. She contemplated on getting help, but she just couldn't bear asking Tenten, who was still down there trying to figure out her own assignments, mainly her Law presentation as she had heard her complain over the last two weeks. The blonde knew Haruno was capable of helping her, but she wasn't sure she would easily guide her through without a price.

Just then, someone knocked on her door. But before Ino could get up, the door opened itself. Haruno stepped in and flipped on the lights before closing the door behind her. Ino leaned back in her chair, casting a suspicious glance at her. She was still in a pair of overalls, with paint streaks smeared over her face and clothes, a little bit even got in her hair, but amazingly, her hands were both clean. In her right hand, she held a silver platter, just the type of thing one would expect to find in a house of this caliber.

"Serving the hors d'oeuvres?" Ino asked sarcastically with a raised brow.

"Haha, funny," Haruno replied in her usual tone as she removed the lid. She revealed a single square of lasagna--each layer stacked neatly atop one another looked nothing less than perfection. The fresh fragrance that emanated from the dish filled the blonde's nostrils, reminding her that she hadn't eaten in over twelve hours. Haruno motioned for her to stay put and advanced towards her with the platter, gingerly placing it in front of her. Then, from one of the large pockets in her overalls, she produced a can of sparkling grapefruit juice to accompany the meal.

"Y-you made this for me?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, dumbass, I brought it up here to eat it in front of you. And I didn't make it. Just reheated some frozen stuff. Temari figured you'd like something to eat after skipping two consecutive meals. She got me to make something for Tenten, so why not spare some for you too."

"Uhm, it's pretty late for something like this," Ino said with uncertainty despite herself.

"You don't have to eat if you're worried about getting fat. It's just vegetables, no meat."

"Well…in that case…" She grinned sheepishly in attempt to show her gratitude and picked up her fork. Ino didn't hesitate --she was much too hungry for that, and as much as she hated to admit, she loved food and disliked nothing more than see it go to waste. Besides, her lame excuse wasn't even enough to convince herself. She didn't stop to consider if the food's been tampered with as she would've done in any other situation.

"This is _really_ good," Ino said with a child-like smile once she swallowed her first bite, nearly burning herself in the process. She had already known at first sight that this wasn't anything out of a box. After all, she would know with her dad being away on certain nights. She was well accustomed to frozen food. From the way Haruno behaved, she could tell that this was all her doing. She couldn't help but smile again as she shoveled another forkful into her mouth. _Who knew the pink bastard had such a cute hobby. Totally wouldn't mind if she cooked for me everyday. _

She paused in mid-bite and glanced up at the enigmatic girl.

Haruno leaned against the edge of her desk with her arms crossed, not saying anything, not even paying attention to the blonde at all as she looked over Ino's calculus homework. _She really isn't bad looking at all if you take a good look at her, on par with Temari even, just on a different plane. I wonder what gave her such an unattractive personality, _Ino thought, a tinge of déjà vu slipping through her mind. _That's not the first time I thought that… Jesus Christ I'm losing it._

"I can see you staring. It's called peripheral vision, piggy. If you want to kiss me, just say so. Quit it," she said, flipping a page in her textbook without looking at her.

_Then again, she was probably born with it, _Ino thought, glaring down at her food in embarrassment. _Just when I think I can get a good opinion of you, you always have to go and prove me wrong. Must've eaten too many pink lemons throughout your life. _

"I'll strike a deal with you," Haruno said when Ino was about three quarters through. "I'll help you out with these problems. I did this last year, and it really isn't as hard as it looks."

"Wait a second. Last year? What kind of courses are you taking?"

"I'm done with math already, took Calculus last year, but still work some tutoring jobs now and then so nothing's forgotten even if I tried," she explained almost exasperatedly, rubbing her temples. "That's all you need to know if it makes you feel more secure about me tutoring you. So if you want my help, I just need you to do one little thing…"

Ino felt her heart stop in dread.

"Come over to my room later tonight."

X

Tenten pulled a thick and dusty leather-backed book off one of the towering walnut shelves. The amount of books Tenten had found concerning law astounded her. Though they were mostly on the laws of Suna, in no way had she considered any of the three to be the studious types. Smart, yes, but not overachieving. _Ah, this one looks to be a hundred years old_, she mused as she flipped through the thin yellowed pages. _I will never understand why I took Law, too much controversy. _Using the index, she found the general section she needed, but seriously questioned her luck. Trying to balance the book at the same time, she quickly moved up and pushed her glasses up with the back of her hand, if only as a brief excuse to rest from squinting at the fading black text.

In truth, she wasn't very sure what she was looking for, nor what she was even doing in the first place. It was an excuse to kill time, she didn't deny it. The idea of handing in nothing seemed tempting to her--at least it'd be a one-time chance at rebellion. Even though she didn't know why she worked so hard, she couldn't find it in herself to turn away. She couldn't afford to lose so many marks.

As she stood there scanning the pages for something of relevance to her project, completely absorbed, she didn't hear the door open and close, nor the footsteps moving towards her.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms slink around her waist, followed by a warm body pressed up against her back. She let out a surprised cry and almost dropped the worn book. A low laugh sounded behind her, the sound and accompanied breath tickling her ears.

"You smell nice," she mumbled, burying her face in the brunette's neck.

"This isn't the first time you've gotten this close to me. Either you're really slow or you're full of bull as usual," Tenten laughed.

"To you, darling, I speak only the truth. That was merely just a confirmation. Anyway, are you hungry? You haven't eaten in a long time. You're not sick are you?"

"No, no, it just completely slipped my mind."

"Well if you're not hungry…" Temari spun her around, causing the book to fall to the floor. Tenten looked up at her, catching a small spark in her green eyes. "I am," she breathed, closing the gaps between her and Tenten. The brunette didn't fight back, allowing entrance without hesitation, but kept a tight reign on her thoughts.

Pulling away, Tenten backed up, creating a distance between them. "Enough of that you pervert, I'm behind enough as it is and all you ever do is distract me."

"You haven't eaten in twelve hours and you're more worried about your homework? What do you _run_ on?" Temari asked with a raised brow. "You should set your priorities straight, hun, before you collapse with anemia or something like that."

"It's not a big deal. I'll eat once I've found a direction in what I'm doing," she retorted a matter-of-factly, slipping the book back into its home on the seldom touched shelves.

Temari bent over as she examined the book Tenten had just stowed away. "Law, huh? You should've said something! I don't know if Suna's constitution will help much, though in reality, Konoha's laws are pretty similar. So what's your project about?"

"Er, some little thing in criminal law...it's so complex…and I need to do a PowerPoint sort of presentation."

The sandy-blonde strode to the end of the shelves, beckoning for her to follow. Turning a corner, she walked up and down the isle, picking off a few books and led her to the lounge chairs where Tenten's laptop laid open on a blank document. Beside it was a tray of food, something the brunette did not remember seeing in the time she had been in there.

"Okay, I'll tell you anything you need to know on the condition that you eat while you listen, okay?" Temari said with a grin, moving the tray onto Tenten's lap. The brunette merely nodded, dubious as you whether or not she would be any help at all. The aloof, artsy troublemaker just didn't seem like the type to explain criminal laws to her. Though right now, she was desperate enough to grasp at every chance she can.

"Look, I can see it in your face that you doubt me," Temari said with a smirk. "But trust me. There is no better person to ask."

"Sorry, but I see you breaking laws, not understanding and enforcing them," Tenten said before unhesitatingly helping herself to the plate of lasagna on her lap.

"Good to know you think so highly of me. By the way, Haruno made that. Just don't tell her I told you."

"You know if you had just kept that to yourself, I would've thought that it was your handiwork. She's a really good cook. There goes my respect for you."

"Woah, woah, hold on. You had _respect_ for me? _And_ I just opened my big mouth and lost it? That's unfair, hun. You play dirty."

"Well you _could_ gain it back. If you'd do what you promised and help me with my project."

"Of course, of course."

For the next hour, Temari filled her in with everything she needed to know and more. Her vast knowledge of politics extended to the point where she was able to recite century-old sections of the constitution, numbers and volumes and all. As Tenten listened, taking notes as she followed along, she could even hear distinct differences in her tone and voice when she talked of law, though she wasn't about to break the flow and comment on it. The dirty and reckless Temari Tenten had come to know over the past few weeks was gone, replaced by a woman much like her grandmother--intelligent and mannered like only the most elite in the social hierarchy. And as she explained the controversies surrounding Tenten's topic, the brunette suddenly became very aware of how much for sophisticated and cultured Temari really was. It would've made her feel self-conscious about her own status, but there were a few things that stuck out her.

For one thing, she no longer spoke with contractions. There was no slang, or even colloquialism. There was even a tinge of an accent that Tenten had never noticed before. It wasn't unpleasant, in fact it was quite soothing, but it was strange. It was out of character. The brunette wasn't sure what to make of it, but she continued on, asking questions, as if she had never noticed. In fact, she didn't even know if Temari noticed it herself.

The new dignified side of Temari's voice and speech patterns, rich and deep as it was, felt empty to Tenten's ears. Her enthusiasm was nothing like when she spoke about her cars despite not knowing much about them. No, she spoke as if law was an obligation--her duty.

Tenten wondered about this, all the while paying close attention to her words. She didn't dare stop her and ask. There were just too many sides, too many hidden compartments in her deep green eyes. Yet she was sure, without a doubt, that she would never be involved in an illegal organization. She must know every nook and cranny in the legal system, every law and every punishment, but Tenten knew that she would never break any of them. There was virtually nothing to support this notion. She just trusted her. Period.

X

Ino stared at herself in the mirror. What the hell does Haruno have in mind? One thing's for sure, she'd definitely have to take off her clothes. Maybe she wants to take nude photos. Turning around a few times to examine herself, the blonde concluded that there wasn't anything she could do to improve anything. As arrogant as it sounded, she was already perfect. At least she wasn't vain enough to complain about her looks and just admit the fact that it's perfect. If that was the case, at least she'd look good. It can't be too difficult, right? But what if these pictures will be posted on the internet? What does that make her? A trophy on the Worldwide Web for all the men in the world to ogle at? Ino shivered. She definitely couldn't go through with this. Even promiscuous people had morals! Then again…

She leaned in closer and studied her eyes. _Maybe I should put on some make up…_

It didn't matter what she had to do, there wasn't anything she could do to oppose Sakura. As long as she lived here, she was only a puppet, controlled by invisible strings and an immaterial ball and chain. Besides, they had an agreement. For the past hour, she had tutored her, just as she said she would. Now she had to follow up on her obligations. Though that didn't stop Ino from questioning herself. Just what kind of deal was this? Math to her was like being able to captivate people to Ino, the only difference being that Ino never had to work hard. Point was, she did it naturally. But for Ino, she could very well lose everything. _Just what kind of shitty bargain is this? _Ino thought, giving into herself and applying a bit of eyeliner. _I feel scammed. Should I just be happy I understand numbers now? She was a pretty good teacher. Gee, that's motivating. Not._

Less than five minutes later, Ino drew a deep breath and smiled at herself. Somehow, she had managed to perfect perfection. _Stop it, Ino, you're no narcissist,_ she chastised herself with a giggle that quickly faded into a frown. _Your looks are all you have. _

_Woah, what was that? _Ino thought, her thought train abruptly coming to a stop as she blinked at herself in the mirror. She shook her head, confused and irritated at herself for the notch she suddenly made in her self-esteem. She didn't know what caused her to think like that, but she had a feeling Haruno was to blame. She furrowed her brows in thought. _Like hell I'd let that pink weed affect me. Just forget about it, Ino. Losing sleep over this is exactly what she wants you to do. Being single for this long was seriously a bad idea. Gotta fix that as soon as possible. Just gotta wait till tomorrow._

She had the sudden urge to splash cold water on her face. But, remembering the make-up she had just applied, she held herself back.

She shook her head again and reached for the door. Ino immediately noticed Haruno who stood opposite from her. She had her back to her, towering above her desk with her head down, and didn't show any sign of acknowledgement. She looked almost asleep, though her arms were moving. Curious at what she was doing, the blonde took a few long strides towards her. She was almost directly behind her and had her hand out, ready to tap her on the shoulder, but it seemed to her that even the most innocent curiosity got her in trouble.

Within the next instant, she felt a tight grip on her wrist. In one swift manoeuvre, it was twisted backwards, forcibly bent at the elbows, with the rest of her body, held in place by a strong hand. Then, for a brief moment, she felt her body suspended in midair before she felt the air rush out of her lungs as she landed on her front with a thud. A tight grip on her shoulder pinned her on the carpet, disabling her free arm as well.

She didn't know what happened, nor did she know what she did to deserve this. All she could think about was the pain coursing through her pinned arm, held so hard at such an awkward angle, and a very song sense of déjà vu. She turned her neck in attempt to face her aggressor, yet failing to meet her eye. She tried to speak but she had bit her tongue hard as she landed. Her mouth hurt, but felt numb compared to her arm.

"W-what the hell were you trying to do?" Haruno demanded, not loosening her grip. Her voice was shaky and panicked, as if she had done what she did out of automatic response. It became obvious to Ino then that this girl definitely had martial arts training. That would explain what happened during that time in the countryside.

"I-it hurts…" the blonde managed to gasp. The other girl let go abruptly, realizing she still had her pinned down.

With as much strength as she could muster, she rolled onto her back and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She flailed her arm around in attempt to loosen it up. The pain smoothed out a bit within a few moments, causing her to become prominently aware of the sharp sting inside her mouth. She glared up at Haruno, who knelt beside her. She was taken aback to catch a brief apologetic expression on her face. But once her confused green eyes met Ino's irritated blue ones, she quickly reverted back to her hard, nonchalant self.

"What's your problem, Haruno?" Ino said, glowering at her with all her might.

"I should be asking you that."

"What kind of person attacks people like that? I didn't even touch you! I was just trying to see what you were doing," she returned almost angrily, a small pout forming on her lips.

Haruno averted her eyes and picked up the camera she had dropped onto the thick carpet. She examined it carefully to make sure it didn't break. Ino hated to think what would happen to her if it did. "Do that again and I won't be able to guarantee your safety next time," she said distractedly as she pointed the camera at the floor to take a test shot. Watching her, Ino couldn't help but wonder if nude photos were exactly what she had in mind.

"You almost dislocated my arm!"

"You're lucky I didn't shatter it."

The blonde lunged at her, pinning her down by the shoulders, the camera gently rolling out of her hand. A crestfallen expression briefly touched her features when Haruno's green eyes looked up at her, nonchalant without a hint of surprise. Hardening her gaze, Ino smirked, lowering her face closer to the other girl's. In a menacing hostility, she breathed one word: "Apologize."

"You deserved it, pig," Haruno scowled. "For what it's worth, you deserve worse."

"But you wouldn't, would you? Deny it all you want, but you care about me…don't you?" she murmured in a thick, sultry voice. With a flick of her tongue, she lightly grazed the side of her face. She heard her breath catch for the briefest of moments.

Before she could celebrate the accomplishment, however, she felt her right leg being kicked out from under her. Ino felt her heartbeat quicken when she landed right on top of Haruno's front. Feeling her breasts crushed against her own, she flushed a light crimson against her fair complexion, having never experienced such a strange and uncomfortable position with another girl before. Reflexively, she tried to push herself up, but Haruno's iron grip on her wrists prevented her from moving her arms at all. Before she knew it, she was on her back with the other girl in the same position she had been in just a moment earlier.

"Is that what you really think?" Haruno said smugly, tightening her grip on Ino's shoulder. Ino cringed at the sudden stab of pain. "Shall we see how long you stand by that?" With each passing second, Ino felt the pressure increase steadily. Her facial muscles were tightening and contorting in pained grimaces. Even her lips felt like they were ready to explode as she bit them to keep from screaming.

"It's not too late to beg me," Haruno provoked.

But whether it was some foolish pride or simply the annoying way she smirked when she said that, Ino scowled at her. From under her, Haruno's intimidating stares were more effective than ever. The blonde wanted to squirm out and admit she had lost. She understood perfectly that she could've done it quickly and painfully, but she was stalling.

Defiant, Ino relaxed herself despite the pain and said between intervals of heavy breathing and grunting, "I know you won't do it. I don't doubt that you can, but you won't."

Haruno frowned and squeezed her shoulder harder, earning a wince and a strangled noise from Ino. "Really? And exactly what makes you so sure of yourself, Miss Piggy?"

"How would you do that shoot without me?" she replied.

"You knew I wanted you for a shoot…very perceptive. So what? Do you honestly think I'd hold back just for that?"

"Mm, no." Haruno faltered a little in surprise. "But I know you won't break anything."

"You know, Ino, I think a pained expression would work fine for the camera."

"This kind of reminds me," Ino murmured thoughtfully, ignoring Haruno, "I've always been meaning to ask, but I guess I've never really managed to put it into a proper question."

"Are you trying to distract me?" Haruno said nonchalantly. Nevertheless, she loosened her grip on the blonde.

"No, no, I was just thinking that's all. You know, I think this entire thing could've been avoided since day one," she paused and watched the other girl expectantly. When no reply or reaction came, she continued on. "I don't believe you're a dumb person in any way. And honestly, you could've easily gotten away with it. You were the one who presented the option to me…so why?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why did you let yourself get caught?"

She frowned. "You'd already caught me, so what else am I supposed to do? Knock you out and run away?"

Ino looked at her questioningly. That was when such an obvious realization hit her. "You waited for me. You _wanted_ me to catch you. You set this entire thing up, didn't you? You were looking for every excuse to get us where we are now. You're like…obsessed with me, aren't you?"

Haruno shook her head, a quiet, cynical laugh escaping her lips. "There you go again, always so fucking full of yourself. You just never stop to think, do you? Temari was part of this too, remember? In fact, she was the one who initiated this. Do you honestly believe I would stalk you? I don't have _time_ for that. If you would just put two and two together, you'd have realized that."

"Look, whatever okay? You've got me where you wanted now that you have that fucking video of yours. You don't have to add on to your cowardice by blaming others. I just want to know why, and I believe I have the right to know. Just tell me straight, because a lack of time couldn't possibly have been the case, as you obviously have too much of it while messing up my life."

Haruno flinched, so slightly that Ino would've missed it if she hadn't been searching so hard for a reaction. There was something in her burnt-out jade eyes that Ino couldn't quite place. There was a tired, pained look in them, as if having an old wound resurface like so many times before. It was just like the time she had seen them at Iruka's daycare. _She's only seventeen, but she looks like she just hit midlife crisis,_ she remembered thinking at the time.

"No, Ino. You know what?" she drawled thoughtfully, "You have no right to know if you don't already. If you've been misinformed, that's your problem."

"This isn't fair at all! You keep saying things like you knew me in the past or something, yet I don't recall ever meeting you before the incident with Tenten. You could at least explain that to me first!"

"Life isn't fair," she mumbled, tightening her hold again. She pressed against her right shoulder in an upwards motion with a brutal amount of force, forcing Ino's arm to roll back. The blonde gasped and tried to twist herself onto one side to accustom the pain, but found Haruno's other hand still pinned to her left shoulder. Ino held her breath. There were tears forming in her eyes. She wanted to scream stop, but the words never came. She could only wait until it was over…until one of them loses their mind.

_Crack!_

She expected to hear it, expected it to be the first to be followed by many. But it never came. Through her blurry vision, she tried to make out Haruno's face despite the pain coursing through her side.

"Life isn't fair," Haruno repeated quietly, slowly letting go. "You don't have a clue what injustice means."

After wiping her eyes, Ino watched as she stood up with the camera in hand. "Two shots," Haruno said warily. "Just pose however you like as you are. Today will only be a trial."

Ino doubted that was the original plan, but she wasn't about to complain. The unexpected turn of events had led to yet another mental struggle between them. Exhausted as she was, Ino knew that she wasn't anywhere close to Haruno's level of fatigue.

X

Ino's eyes shot open. Panic welled up inside her as she jumped onto the other corner of the bed. She pulled her blankets closed to her as she squinted into the dark. She was sure she had felt a hand on her shoulder. Her right shoulder. The very one that was still throbbing in such a surreal way that Ino wasn't even sure if it was all in her head or not. But in the darkness, she couldn't make out even the outline of the intruder. She stole a glance at the small LCD clock beside her pillow, confirming that it was barely five in the morning. Despite how tired she was last night, her mind had kept her awake until 2AM, around the last time she checked. She pinched herself.

"Oh my," she heard a faceless voice say. Almost immediately, she felt her muscles relax, and the rate of her heartbeat slow down.

"G-grandma?"

"Of course! I am so very sorry, dear, did I frighten you?" the old woman said with a laugh. Ino flushed in embarrassment.

"No, I'm just a little…paranoid?"

"Well, I assure you there is nothing to worry about. Sakura-kun has been downstairs since I woke up. Temari asked me to wake you up."

"Where is Tenten?"

"Sleeping soundly in Temari's room. Now, before you say anything, I will let you know that even though they stayed in the same room, no harm has been done to your friend. They were fully clothed when I went to get Temari earlier."

Ino nodded, unsure if the action was seen in the dark. "Uhm, just a question…does this household always get up this early? Because I'll be staying here for the next month…I don't really know if…"

Grandmother laughed again, causing Ino to trail off and shrink back into her blankets, feeling as blonde as ever. "No, no! Gaara and Kankurou are still sleeping. Usually, if nothing special is happening, they sleep until teatime, not that we do that anymore. That includes Temari too."

"Haruno…er, Sakura…does she stay here often?"

"Mmm…sometimes. She usually goes home after dinner though. She comes over almost every day. Her family must be quite complicated. Now that I think about it, I don't really know much about her at all except her name and her and Temari's shared _interests_."

_What? Raping girls? _Ino thought with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway," Grandmother continued, "come on, get up, and get dressed, chop-chop! You will not have enough time for a shower, so just change and meet Temari downstairs in the living room."

"Do I wear that…maid thing...from yesterday?"

"Yes, yes, now go, go, go," she said, her voice fading as she left the room.

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

"What did you mean by…special events?"

"Ah, Temari never told you? That girl can be so irresponsible. Their father is going to arrive at around noon. This house has always been hectic whenever he decides to show up…ah, well, a word of warning: just listen to whatever Temari tells you because your role is a dangerous one. Even though he is my only son, I never hesitate to say that that man is not pleasant in any way. I do not know what happened, swallowed by power perhaps, but," her voice was quiet with remorse, "I just wish I had raised him better."

X

"Tenten, wake up already," Temari whispered for what must've been the tenth time. _Damn she sure can sleep_ she thought when she received no response. She was kneeled down beside the comfortably asleep brunette with mix feelings about waking her. _It makes me feel kind of bad to have to wake her up…she's so...peaceful and cute! It'd be nice to see her like this more often. _Unconsciously, Temari reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ears. Tenten batted away Temari's hand and snuggled deeper into the pillow, mumbling something incoherent. Temari couldn't help but laugh. She reminded her too much of a stubborn cat in many ways, one who wouldn't hesitate to scratch, yet one just can't help but want to love it to pieces.

"C'mon, wake up before I start doing indecent things to you," Temari laughed in all seriousness as she shook the girl one more time. She bit her lip and hesitated for a second, but deciding that it was her last option, she dove in and helped herself to her soft, unsuspecting lips. She was caught off-guard when Tenten returned her kiss, yet showed no other signs of wakefulness.

"Well since you're such a heavy sleeper, you wouldn't mind if I just…" Temari grinned against Tenten's mouth and let her hand run loosely down the brunette's front before sliding it under her shirt. She caressed the soft skin below her bellybutton, waiting for a response. Receiving none, her fingers scuttled lower until it tucked itself inside the waistband of her shorts.

"Alright, alright, stop already, I'm awake," Tenten breathed, grasping Temari's wrist. Her head fell back and broke the kiss.

"Nuh uh," Temari replied, kissing her exposed neck as she peeled Tenten's hand off her own. "I've been trying to wake you for longer than I care to remember. There is no way I'm going to walk away without so much as a consolation prize."

"No, you've had your kiss already. If that's not enough, then go find someone else."

Temari smirked and allowed her hand to push further until it brushed against its goal. She stroked the cloth that barred her way, and let out a satisfied sigh when she felt a small, sharp movement from the other girl. "No way, hun, you're just not very honest with yourself."

"T-Temari, wait. Wait. Stop," she said, trying to push her away. Temari complied, stilling her hands, and looked at her. She couldn't quite see it in her eyes with the lack of lighting, but she knew she wanted it as much as she did. However, she respected Tenten enough to keep quiet.

"As intriguing as this is for me, I don't want this right now." Temari's face fell. "Tonight," Tenten said, immediately brightening Temari's features with joy and surprise, "that is, if you want to. Its things like this which you tend to do that confuse me. I don't know if you're after my heart or just my panties. You told me before, I know, and I took your word for it, but I don't want myself getting involved in some master scheme of yours."

Temari felt her heartbeat quicken, a sense of guilt immediately taking over her. But she kept her gaze locked tightly with Tenten's. "Tonight," Tenten said her voice low and inviting as she drew Temari closer, "we could do everything your dirty little mind conjures up until the break of dawn if you wanted to."

"I like the sound of that," Temari replied with a wolf-like grin. She leaned forward, but felt a hand pressing just below her collarbone, stopping her halfway.

"Or…if you were truly sincere enough, you could keep up your games and, if luck would have it, I'd fall in love with you and we'd live happily ever after. Granted, the sex and the love might come in a few months or a few years. So what will it be?"

Temari chuckled, "I don't think I'd be able wait any longer than tonight. You've already done your share of messing me up."

Tenten smiled. It was a humourless, almost sad smile, and she was thankful it went unnoticed in the dark. "We'll wait and see then."

X

Ino carefully descended the spiral staircase, trying her hardest to manoeuvre in the tight, almost suffocating, skirt. The chandeliers weren't lit. The only light came from the kitchen, casting menacing shadows across the foyer. She picked up her pace and cautiously floated down each step in the four-inch heels she had been provided with today. There were no sounds coming from the kitchen. In fact, there were no sounds coming from anywhere at all. Her own breathing seemed to be the most distracting noise of all. Grandmother told her to prepare and wait downstairs, but she couldn't be the only one right? She peeked into the kitchen, expecting a gathering of people awaiting her arrival with annoyance. Finding no one, she curiously wandered into the hall and into the living room, the crisp sounds of her shoes feeling oddly out of place. The lights were dimmed to a point where it didn't make much a difference. The curtains were drawn, but Ino doubted the winter morning would provide much light anyway.

Off to the side, she noticed a figure standing in front of a mirror. The figure was definitely too short to be any of the boys, nor could it be Temari who was on par with her brothers. And Tenten was still in bed. So through the process of elimination, it could only have been one person: Haruno. Much to Ino's amazement, the girl was clad in a rather flattering set of androgynous formalwear. Her blue eyes met green through the mirror's reflection, yet neither moved. Ino's outfit was no different from yesterday, yet she could feel her blood boiling at the cheeks as she felt Haruno fully registering her scanty outfit for the first time.

After a long stretch of silence, Haruno finally spoke. "You don't happen to know how to tie a tie, do you?"

Ino blinked. "Of course, I do it for my dad all the time." She strode towards her and planted herself directly in front of the other girl. She found her eyes wandering over her style of dress. There wasn't anything special about it: pressed slacks, a grey and black pinstriped vest atop a plain white dress shirt, rolled up at the elbow, and a strip of red silk hung around her neck, each end hanging almost pathetically in both hands. It was a combination that would've looked rather dashing on any average guy, yet somehow it managed to look exceptionally so on the girl Ino loathed the most.

Ino took the two ends from Haruno. "Why are you dressed like this?" Ino asked, keeping her eyes on her hands to avoid Haruno's watchful eyes.

"It's a big day for Temari so I promised to act as her butler for the day."

"Would that also explain my part in this?"

"Of course. You're automatically in the game once I've joined. However, your part is bigger than mine today, under Temari's orders that is. Apparently her daddy has a…thing for cute, young girls, and she's much too obsessive about Tenten to give her up. She's going to act as her personal maid or something."

"By 'apparently', you're telling me you've never met him?"

"Why would I have?"

"I just assumed that since you two were such good friends…"

"He's visited once from what Temari told me. I can't really remember where I was at the time though."

"Do you know who he is at least?"

"Nope. She never told me his name."

"Anyway, aren't butlers always men?"

"Well I'm trying to act the part. If it doesn't work then I'll just be considered the housekeeper. You on the other hand, don't have much of a choice. You will be running all the errands, and work under my direction. But remember, we all work under the original household so whatever they saw is _law_. Got it?"

"Even Temari?"

"Last time I checked, she's still part of the original household," Haruno said matter-of-factly as Ino adjusted the tie. It wasn't enough dealing with two troublesome lesbians she'd been enslaved to, so let's throw in a perverted old man. For a minute, Ino considered the situation she found herself in, but seeing as she was helpless in this environment, she decided to drop it and hope for the best. She only wished to know the most painless way of surviving through it. Ino didn't dare voice her thoughts, nor did Haruno say anything more as Ino blankly watched Haruno tucked her tie beneath her vest and pull out a pair of snow-white gloves.

"Hope I'm not interrupting something," a voice said teasingly, startling the dazed blonde. She turned to the doorway to see Temari, dressed semi-formally but femininely for a change. Behind her stood a very aggravated Tenten in an outfit almost matching her own. Her bistre eyes roamed around in awkward embarrassment.

Out of utter disbelief, Ino stomped forward and grounded herself right in front of her friend. Tenten glared at her. Her hair was let loose over her shoulders, a style even Ino had never seen, and the same pair of glasses she always wore made her appear older somehow.

"Don't say anything," Tenten muttered, "I know, I look like you. Ugh."

"Hey, hey, you make that sound like a bad thing. At least your heels aren't as high. And you look great. Really!"

"See, I tried to tell her," Temari chimed in happily, "but she wouldn't listen."

"Looking like some fifty cent prostitute isn't what I'd call great," Tenten retorted with a roll of her eyes.

The two ignored her. "You're pretty amazing, Temari. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't get her to wear even a dress. That's some influence you've got there."

"It just takes a _lot_ of badgering. But in the end it's worth it, isn't it?" Temari said with a proud grin. "Anyway, let's not waste any more time here. We've got lots to do before he shows up and it's almost six. There are a lot of things that need to be taught like etiquette and such, and we don't have much time. My father is a very picky man, and you don't want to get on his bad side."

X

Ino smoothed down her skirt for what felt like the billionth time. They were all standing in the foyer in a loose semi-circle around the crest depicted on the flooring. The original occupants of the house were all dressed in formal business attire, as if readying to greet an important CEO of some major company. They said nothing as they stood in perfect posture accompanied by faces void of any expressions. _This man must be serious_, Ino thought to herself out of boredom as she stood on the side observing the solemn scene with Tenten almost nodding off to sleep beside her. _What kind of dad would want to be greeted so coldly? Maybe he really is some tight-assed businessman. Or an army man? Or maybe…a mobster?_ She wanted so bad to nudge Tenten and ask for her take on the situation, but she didn't dare disturb. Her eyes shifted towards Haruno, who stood a little ways away from her. For the past ten minutes since they had assembled, she tried again and again to maintain the same posture as everyone else. It wasn't hard to see how badly she was failing as she shifted around in pure boredom.

Haruno caught her eye and casted her an irritated look. Then she directed a slight nod at Tenten, who had her head down. Ino jabbed her elbow deep into the brunette's side, causing her head to snap up in alarm. She would've let out a loud scream if Ino hadn't acted fast enough to smother the sounds with her hand. The two of them froze to make sure they weren't noticed before Ino dropped her hand. Tenten let out a yawn and fell back into the rigid position they were assigned to in the beginning.

Ino craned her neck to look at the clock on the living room wall. 12: 09PM. The bastard was late.

As if on cue, the subtle sound of an engine poured into the room. The three outsiders jumped with a start, but the other four remained nonchalant.

"Sakura-kun," Grandmother said.

"A-ah, yes. Right away, Ma'am" Haruno replied as rehearsed as she rushed towards the door. She flung open both doors and was almost immediately pushed aside by a massive man in black. He ignored her glare and stepped aside, revealing a man who looked to be in his late thirties to early forties. He dressed as refined as Ino had suspected, and could've passed for any sort of wealthy businessman. He had a mix of Gaara's and Kankurou's hair, as well as a perfect mirror image of the siblings' eyes. However, Ino disliked him right off the bat. Everything about him, starting with his scornful smirk, felt sinister.

"Ah, Gaara! How is my favourite son?" he said enthusiastically, waltzing into the room with arms wide open and purposefully ignoring everyone else.

"Fine, Father," Gaara replied coldly. He cringed when his father enveloped him in a half-assed embrace.

"Before anything, let's get some things out of the way. Most importantly, where will I be staying in this run-down shack of residence?"

Seeing Grandmother's annoyed look, Temari spoke up. "Father, if I may speak, we assumed you were going to board at a hotel as usual, so we did not prepare a room for you."

"Temari, are you trying to…kick me out?"

"N-no, Father, I was merely…"

"Of course not!" Kankurou intervened hurriedly, "In fact, we saved a room just for you. Our maid will direct you immediately."

Surprised and confused, Ino stumbled forward and forced a smile. "At your service, Master," she said uneasily.

"Oh, a maid! Finally took my advice, did you, Mother? Isn't she the prettiest thing! What is your name?"

"Y-Yamanaka Ino, S-sir!" she replied with a low curtsey, just as Temari had instructed.

"Right. Now, about that room…"

"R-right this way!"

"Baki, get my bags," he called with a snap of his fingers before he followed her up the stairs. The man who had shoved Sakura aside earlier turned around and headed back towards the empty streets without a word.

Ino scurried up the stairs, trying her best to keep an even pace between them. The man followed her closely without a word. Close enough that, no matter how far she managed to distance herself, he always managed to be virtually glued to her back. She couldn't explain why, as he was clearly a very dignified man, but there was a sinking feeling at the pit of her feeling. Danger? It couldn't be, she was just a maid.

"Here we are," she said once they had arrived at her room. "You will have to excuse me for a minute while I clean up. The young mistress didn't inform me of your stay here, I won't be long."

As Ino hurriedly made the bed, He strode around the room, examining it expressionlessly with his arms behind his back. "You…have been staying here?" He nodded toward the bag of lingerie sitting in neglect in front of the closet.

"S-so sorry, Master, this was the only room available…and I haven't been here for long…," Ino replied, panicked.

He looked at her with a raised brow and stepped towards her. He took a seat on the bed and gestured for Ino to join him. She nervously complied, and sat down a bit too fast. He looked startled when he felt the bounce of her weight. "How long is not very long, exactly?" he asked, trying to put up an indifferent face.

"T-two m-months, Sir."

"Two months! That should be more than enough time for proper training. Mother is too lax, not strict enough indeed," he said with a mocking shake of the head. "Now let us test your basic knowledge, do you know who I am?"

"N-no, Sir…"

"Nemo-chan, when I saw you, I was quite sure of myself that you were more than just a pretty face. However, I seem to be proven wrong. I have heard many times that blondes were not very bright, but as royalty, I cannot shun those who are different. But if the facts remain true, then there is not much else I can do. Alas, it is not to say that a beautiful girl like you cannot be put to good use. In fact, I expect you are quite skilled in a certain trade, correct? You are still young, after all."

gnawing dread inside her grew as her fears were confirmed. _Roundabout as it is, I know he won't want anything less than a blowjob. _And when he pointed to the floor-space between his legs, Ino knew she was right. "Look, Sir," she began to protest.

"Quiet, know your place and do not speak unless asked. That is the most basic rule. Down," he interrupted calmly and patiently.

Ino stood up abruptly, brimming with anger and disgust towards this man. "I don't care how rich you are, I have morals too! If I fail to please you, _Master_, then I'm sure Temari will arrange a top-of-the-class prostitute at your disposal. Now if you'll excuse me." She stormed towards the door after having a fair amount of damage inflicted on her pride. There was no way she would stand to be treated like this by some man who was probably three times her own age. Sure, Haruno has called her a whore plenty of times, but at least she wasn't vain enough to demand anything of her like that.

Unfortunately for her, she didn't get far. She didn't know what happened, but within the next few minutes, she felt a strong grip on her arm that jolted her back to the bed so hard that she could almost hear it popping out of its sockets. Then she was lying on the bed with the man on top of her, grinning down at her like a hungry hyena. She felt the déjà vu again, but this time, she knew her position was much more severe.

In a hoarsely vicious voice, he spoke between the gritted teeth of his gruesome grin. "You dare defy the King of Suna?" he challenged almost maniacally. "One more word and I will have you behind bars for the rest of your life! In the unbearably hot deserts of Suna, I believe you will have a good time entertaining the boys."

_K-K-K-King…?_ Ino thought. Her thoughts failed to line up coherently and couldn't seem to register his words. Suddenly, she felt a large pair of hands grope around, seemingly blindly, at her body. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for it to be over. There was nothing she could do to save herself. After all, he was nearly twice her size. _Oh god, oh god, I'm gonna get raped, _was her constant thought. She felt a draft graze across her chest and realized it had been exposed. If only she hadn't chosen to wear a front-clasp bra. _Oh god, oh god, please no. No, no, no…_

When she felt a rough hand run along her inner thigh, she felt a dangerous wave of panic overtake her. Further and further up it crept, as she tried harder and harder to block it out with her mantra of "No, no, no, please no", but he was clearly enjoying himself from the way he was "teasing" her. It was the moment that she felt the slightest touch against her panties that she cracked. Something seemed to have grabbed her by the shoulders and force her to defend herself. With a newfound amount of force and courage, she swung her arm over and slapped him hard against the cheek.

The intense glower that followed after cause the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. His eyes were spiteful and angry as he cupped his cheek. "One _squeak_ out of you and you'll wish you've never been born," was his threat. Gone was his gentlemanly pretence and noble importance--the man above her was inhuman, a monster, and for once, Ino truly, _truly_ feared for her life.

He grabbed onto the hem of her dress and tore it open down the middle almost effortlessly, right up to her bellybutton after he ripped off the apron. Ino immediately covered her mouth with her hands to prevent herself from screaming as he pulled off her panties as well. She had never wanted to scream or to cry so bad in her life. _Stop! Stop it!_ She wished desperately. Even though she knew he wouldn't, she found her thought train to be adversely repetitive, reminding her every single moment of the reality around her.

He spread her legs and positioned himself in front of her. Not a fraction of a second later, he entered her, full depth without a word of warning. And he wasn't small in the very least. Despite her efforts, Ino screamed.

He struck her across the cheek. Once, twice, three times, even after she had quieted herself. The mental and physical strain was becoming too much to bear. She could feel herself being split in half, but she was helpless. Unable to control herself, she quietly cried to herself as she waited for the torture to end.

X

**A/N: So I realized that somehow, I made Ino get raped again…poor thing. Ah well, too bad. Anyway, drop off a review. Any questions, comments, or concerns. Once again I apologize for the rape and yeah…the time is now 2:41 and I'm too brain-dead to think of anything else to say.**

**Edit: Okay, the story genre has been changed to drama. As it started out kind of a funny idea, but ended up...anything but. For all of you who are critisizing, flaming, and wtf-ing me, all I have to say is I'm sorry I didn't portray the scene too well. Unfortunately, I'd love to justify myself by revealing the plot but I can't do that. **

**So yeah, if you're one of those adults with too much time on their hands, read something other than my "tween fantasies", like let's say...a book? A novel, perhaps? And if I detailed every rape event in order to perfect the scene, THEN I believe I'll need to get help, okay Mr. Officer? I apologize for not being morbid enough. And I apologize for being an ignorant teenager of sixteen.  
**

**Anyway, I'll try to get the next update up as fast as I can. I'm sorry I created a controversy.  
**


	15. Hold Nothing Back

Chapter 15: Hold Nothing Back

The family was gathered in the living room after a long lunch. The atmosphere was unlike any of a normal family, even in the tensest of situations. But by now, they were used to the loveless dreariness. Hate, suspicion, condescendence were among the many factors between their relationship with the King of Suna. This current situation was filled with déjà vu, though no one voice anything. Grandmother shared a loveseat with a very tense Temari, who sat gripping the fabric of her pants hard, disregarding any distasteful wrinkles it may cause. She feared that if she didn't do this, she would just cause more trouble. Gaara and Kankurou took the one opposite. The youngest brother was outwardly composed, but harboured a turbulence in his eyes that only his siblings were so used to seeing. Kankurou, on the other hand, was focused purely on biting his tongue as he waiting for someone to break the unnerving silence. Between the two loveseats, the King alone occupied the couch perpendicular to them, taking up the head seat as if they were sitting at a dining table. He looked too audaciously comfortable and pleased with himself for words.

The siblings hadn't questioned their father when he had returned to the foyer without Ino following behind him, and found it curious that Baki wasn't allowed into the room. They decided to remain ignorant for now, and wait for any signs of guilt. Evidence, even, that can prove exactly what kind of man he was. Though they hadn't expected any, they decided it would be best to prevent diving headfirst into the situation. Previous experiences have taught them a few things. They met up in the room in order to hear their father's plan as he had proposed, which was the very purpose of his stay. But they knew the confrontation could not wait. Sakura and Tenten had been exiled to the library shortly after Ino's leave by Temari. It hadn't taken any of the original household long to realize what was going on.

"Father, you have done it again," Gaara, surprisingly, was the first to speak.

"Done what?" he replied with a curiously innocent look on his face.

"You said you would stop, this isn't the first time this had happened." It was Kankurou who spoke next in a rushed tone, as if he had been holding it all in for a long time. "You've been in the house for less than five minutes and you're already starting things like this."

"Ino may be pretty," Gaara intercepted, "but that is no excuse to do what you did to her. I am sure you are capable of prioritizing. But this is absolutely unacceptable."

Temari chewed her lip thoughtfully, and hurriedly tried to excused herself. But Grandmother held her back, giving her a stern look. Reluctantly, she sat back down and quietly listened as her brothers continued their questioning.

"Must you all speak in such a cryptic manner?"

"Father, look at me straight," Gaara said, practically on the edge of his seat. "You committed a serious violation, did you not?"

"I do not know what you are talking about."

"Please, Father, you have to stop. Our family will lose the throne if this got out!"

"This was the very reason Mother left!" the redhead added.

"Do you mean to tell me that you believe I, your father and King of Suna, would stoop so low as to violate a helpless girl? And the maid to boot? Do you have proof of this conjecture? Do you really wish to go through all the troubles of baseless accusations again?"

"We're not blind children, Father," Temari asserted, finally breaking her silence, "you start to wonder when you're up there for such a long period of time, not letting even Baki enter with the bags. To top it off, Ino disappeared. Contrary to what you seem to believe over the years, we _are_ capable of putting two and two together. We've witnessed your crimes more than enough times. You said you'd stop, you promised Mother. But ever since Grandmother retired from the throne last year, you're becoming a lot bolder, aren't you? You think you can get away with everything now don't you?"

"Temari, please, calm down," Grandmother urged as her voice rose significantly.

"No, I can't. Why did you let him take over, Grandmother? It's obvious he isn't ready. He's been doing this again and again without a hint of remorse. It _has_ to stop!" At this point she was almost shouting, and her volume was only increasing. "While we sit around in Konoha, wondering why Suna is bringing itself down to ruins, look what is happening within the Royal family? Hell, I think Gaara can handle being King better than he can despite his lack of experience. At least he knows all the responsibilities that come with authority. Just the fact that I share the same blood with this man disgusts me." Both Kankurou and Gaara shot her a warning look, but it was too late. The next that flew out of her mouth was one many wished to say, but it was understood how dire the consequences were. Even in her state of blind rage, Temari could only bring herself to whisper, "Father, you are not fit to be king at all."

A long stretch of silence followed. The King's features were contorted in an expression of an exaggeratedly tortured pain. "Baki," he finally said, holding up a splayed out palm. The large man was hesitant, but strode over and planted himself in front of Temari. He closed his eyes, pained, and slapped her hard across the cheek. Five times, just as he had been instructed. With his strength, Temari had to sit down after, feeling swollen and dizzy. She had seen it coming--it wasn't the first time she exploded at him--but she just couldn't help herself.

"I left you in charge of Suna's Foreign Affairs because I knew you were capable," he said solemnly, yet patronizingly. _Lies_, Temari thought as she fumed quietly in her seat. _The last guy bolted, that's all. Don't think I don't know. _"On top of that, you are my only daughter, and I expect a great deal from you. Yet, there is nothing you are not lacking in. You disappoint me. With blasphemies like that, I really ought to have you executed, but there is an announcement I must make, and in this you are needed, so I will try my best to dispose this memory of your conduct today."

Temari scowled. _Every time, every single time! _She stood up and stomped away, feeling no better even after she had finally managed to say what she did.

"We will talk about the plans at dinner," he said as Temari left the room. His tone was anything but friendly. It was a command, after all, and a sinister one at that. She didn't want to hear his Napoleonic master plans. Nothing was going to end well, she knew that much.

X

Sullenly, Temari nudged open the library door. From the short corridor, she could still see the rest of her family as they spoke. The atmosphere of the entire house was like that of a funeral. Her own heart had sunken lower than she could ever have imagined at the thought of dealing with Ino and Tenten. She contemplated on whether or not she should even tell the brunette. But one thing was certain: Haruno had to know. She wasn't sure how she'd take to it, or whether or not she'd decide to kick her while she's down, but it was better than hurting Ino out of negligence. She had told her to stay in the library on account of private family matters, so there was no way she'd know of her father's treacheries.

Temari closed the door and made her way towards the lounge area, where she found Haruno and Tenten sitting in silence. Tenten looked up at her, eyes filled with worry. Temari wondered if her own face reflected the desolation inside her.

"Did something happen?"

"No," she lied, giving Tenten a small smile. "But I need to talk to you, Sakura. I'll have to ask you to stay here, Tenten. We won't be long."

Haruno quietly followed Temari towards the corner of the library furthest from the door, with a good distance away from Tenten. "Why so secretive?" Haruno asked indifferently as she leaned against the bookshelf.

"I just don't want Tenten to know," Temari replied, leaning against the shelf opposite from Haruno.

"It must be pretty serious. Your face looks so dark that you look like you just killed somebody."

"No, it has nothing to do with me. It's Ino."

"What, did she piss off your daddy and was forced to wash the dishes while you kept us in here?"

"It's for your own good. This family has too many complicated matters that must be kept confidential."

"What are you saying, Temari? You're confusing me." She raised a brow at her. "You look really tense."

Temari breathed in deeply, and crossed her arms, gripping the fabric of her shirt for a small amount of comfort. "I know you probably won't freak out as much as a normal person would, but you have to promise me you wouldn't do anything rash. I had warned you last night how disgusting of a person my father is, but I hadn't expected something like this to happen so soon."

"If it's Ino, you can probably count on that." Despite what she said, Temari caught a hint of movement in Haruno's eyes that told her otherwise.

"Before I tell you, I think you should know one thing--something that I don't wish for Tenten or anyone else to ever find out during our stay in Konoha. We would be in a bit of trouble if word of this ever got out. So let's start from the very beginning and introduce ourselves over again."

Haruno raised a brow, and couldn't help but worry about the other girl at her complete one-eighty behaviour. Hesitantly, she said slowly, "You're not making much sense. But if this will make it easier for you, then fine." She stuck out a hand. "Hi, I'm Haruno Sakura, nice to meet you."

Temari smiled and took her hand. The introduction she had in mind wasn't so simple. "My name is Temari, twenty years old, temporary Minister of Foreign Affairs, Princess of Suna, daughter to the King, and half sister and current secondary guardian to Gaara: heir to throne."

Haruno said nothing, a look of subtle incredulity written within her features. "I know, I know. How can someone as aloof as I am be a princess? It's not like I asked to be one, and I can be as refined as any other as I have had proper training for most of my life."

"Actually, that clears up a lot of things. I've always had a hunch that you were different."

"Is that why you protected me when Ino tried to tattle on us?"

Haruno shrugged. "I guess so. It was just a gut feeling that it wouldn't be very pleasant if I got you in trouble." Then, out of nowhere, she laughed. "But I did feel like I owed you for stealing Tenten's first lesbian kiss. Though, you _were_ the one who punched her."

"Hey, hey, if you hadn't _ducked_."

"You know you can't hurt me with a basic punch like that."

"Yeah, that's true. But if I had to, I would be able to take you down."

"Oh really?"

"Well, I'm one of Suna's best aerial combatants. Though I haven't spent enough time to lead my own regular squadron, I can if necessary. Planes are one of the few things I actually have a talent for. I've been exposed to more military training throughout my childhood than most adults in their whole lives."

"That's…not exactly unexpected I suppose. At least I finally know why you're so filthy rich. You've got the smarts, the skills, and the money, so why are you in Konoha? Especially if Gaara is taking over the throne, shouldn't he be at home preparing for the day he has to step up?"

Temari sighed. "That was his decision, I'm just here. But look, I don't think I should talk about that now. We have a bigger problem on our hands. Now that you know this family's real identity, I hope you can understand the severity of the situation."

"You still haven't--"

"Ino was raped. It's not the first time this has happened. It was my father. Whatever you do, just don't get yourself involved with that man. I knew he was going to pull something like this again, I just didn't expect it to be so soon."

"Wait, wait! Hold on. Can't you talk a little slower?" Haruno narrowed her eyes. "Correct me if I heard wrong, but did you just say that Ino was raped and you knew it would happen?

"W-well," Temari stammered, taken aback by her unexpected anger. "I didn't think he'd do it so fast. I wanted to observe him a little first…then stop him before he does anything if I can see signs…"

"If you knew then why didn't you stop him? Why did you lie and lock us up in here?" She barked back demandingly. She felt an unexpected surge of fury that frustrated her even more than the actual news itself.

"Look, this has happened before. I didn't want to rush into things again. I needed evidence, okay?"

"Why didn't you take a fucking video or something?"

"It's not that easy."

"Then explain it to me, because I don't understand at all! How the hell can something like this happen?"

"We've tried to convict him, but we couldn't. You have no idea how many times we've tried. But every single time, it ends up like _The Boy Who Cried Wolf_. We had no proof and none of the girls would speak. However, there was one case…one woman who did. She…was jailed through fabricated evidence. And all the real, decisive evidences they found, including a video, were destroyed. There weren't any witnesses and the defence attorney was a downright rookie. The judge had been bribed and the jury carefully handpicked and the Crown purposefully brought in their best prosecutor. But what could she do? She didn't have any money to hire a better lawyer. And he knew that. Obviously, that didn't end well. My father used all sorts of underhanded techniques to break her alibi. But somehow, he must've felt some degree of guilt…"

She took a deep breath. "…Because that woman…is the mother of me and Kankurou. She had already given birth to me the first time, and Kankurou the second. It must've been under some sort of pretence, or was just plain unfortunate to have run into the man so many times. Unfortunately, we don't know the details of their private story. Father told us she died giving birth to Kankurou, but after a little investigation, we found out everything. We also found out that she was executed on the charge of treason." She gave a sad, crooked smile. "At least he doesn't know that we know."

"Moral of the story is: if we accused him again, the consequences will be serious. Also, he is our father and Gaara has not yet received enough training to take over the throne now, so if anything happens to him the country is doomed to die, do you understand? And Ino is still-- Hey! Where are--" Temari didn't get to finish her speech when Haruno took off.

"I can't claim to relate, Temari, and I do feel a little closer to you. But I have something to take care of now," she said before disappearing around the bookshelf.

Not having expected that, Temari merely looked at her friend's retreating back. Despite the situation, she couldn't help but smile. _And here I was worried about her bullying the poor girl_. _I just hope history doesn't repeat itself. _

X

"Ino?" Haruno called into the blonde's empty room as she flicked on the lights. "You in here, piggy?" She wandered around, checking over and under every dark area. Examining the bed, she cringed in disgust at the evidence left behind. There was no doubt as to what had happened, the area stank of sex. There were a few spots of semen on the bed sheets, proving that it couldn't have just been Ino getting frisky with herself in the middle of the night. Haruno shook her head. _At least he didn't ejaculate inside of her, that bastard. Hopefully. _She tilted her head and glanced towards the bathroom. The door was closed.

She walked over and wiggled the knob, but, as expected, it was locked. The walls were soundproof, but there was no doubt that the blonde was in there. Without bothering to announce to Ino of her arrival, she walked around to her own room and hoped Ino had been too panicked to remember the other door.

Turning the doorknob, she was relieved to find it unlocked. The first sound that hit her was a disconcerted symphony of muffled sobs behind the drawn shower curtains. She tiptoed inside and locked the door behind her.

"Whose there?" Ino's voice was hoarse. It's been nearly an hour since Haruno and Tenten had been sentenced to the library. _She must've been here the whole time, _Haruno thought.

"It's just me."

A series of almost alarmed-sounding hiccups followed, followed by a stutter of, "Go away." Haruno sighed loudly, which, to her own ears, sounded like a defensive stress of how much trouble everything was causing her. _Sure make this harder for her, dumbass_, she thought with a roll of her eyes. _Now what should I do?_

Frustrated with herself, she glided forward and pulled the curtain back. Though the sight before her shouldn't have been surprising, she sorely wish she hadn't done that. Ino sat hugging her knees tightly against her chest, looking as pale as the porcelain tub that contained her. Her red-rimmed eyes caught hers for a moment, wide with fear, before she buried her face in her knees. Her hair was dishevelled and her clothes had been reduced to lifeless rags. No matter how hard she tried, Sakura just couldn't maintain her stoic demeanour. There was something pulling at her heart that shouldn't be there, something too strong for her to ignore the broken blonde.

"Are…are you h-happy now?" Ino mumbled between sobs without looking up.

"Look," Haruno replied, biting the inside of her cheek as she tried to find the right words, "I didn't mean for this to happen. I would never _ever _have wanted this to happen. I…I…I'm really…really sorry, Ino." She averted her eyes for a second out of embarrassment, but it wasn't long before she found herself staring into a pair of stormy tired eyes.

"Why? Why are you apologizing? You should be happy. You wanted to see me fall. You went through so much trouble, starting with luring me in using Tenten. Shouldn't you be satisfied? This is the second time this has happened since meeting you, the first time being the Halloween dance. I _get_ what you're trying to tell me okay? I sleep around too much, I'm just a little whore, I _know_, okay? You don't have to keep reminding me like this! W-why are you looking at me with that kind of expression? Stop it! Stop it!" She threw her arms around her head and hid her face, trembling with overriding emotions. Sakura didn't say anything.

She wasn't sure why she did what she did after that. It must've been that something that was tugging at the compassion she never knew she had. But she found herself giving in and climbing into the bathtub. She drew the curtains, providing them with a comfortably dim atmosphere.

"What are you doing?" Ino asked, peeking out with an accusing glare. The space was cramped, but nevertheless, Haruno ushered forward and gathered the blonde in a tight embrace.

"Just relax, don't hold back just because I'm here. You can cry as much as you want," Haruno whispered in reply, trying her best use a comforting tone. Unfortunately, she wasn't accustomed to showing so much empathy, so her objective ended up looking worse than intended. Ino tried to pull away, but there was nowhere for her to shrink off to. She tried to push her off, but her body was much too exhausted.

"Don't," she heard her whisper almost pleadingly, choking on her own tears, "please don't…I beg you." _She's shaking even more_, Haruno flinched a little. Letting go seemed all too tempting. But she just couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards her, and of course she knew the reason why. Even so, she couldn't possibly say it. Ino's pity was the absolute last thing she needed to add on top of this mess.

"I-it…makes no sense," the blonde mumbled to herself between chokes and tears, "why didn't I cry when you did it? Twice in less than a week! I can't take it! I can't! I can't!" She rocked back in forth, holding fistfuls of her ragged clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Haruno didn't say anything. She knew how much she hated her right now, but she still didn't let go.

Ino begged her to leave again, her tears never ceasing, but she held on. Haruno cursed herself for being so soft, especially since she was now the source of her misery, a goal she had set some time in the past. Out of frustration she effortlessly picked up crying girl and brought her down with her as she sat on the other side of the bathtub, making sure to avoid hitting her head on the faucet. The shocked blonde found herself enveloped on all sides by human warmth. Haruno's arms were wrapped tightly around her waist with her legs crossed over in front of her own. Once more she begged, crying and screaming, wriggling and resisting in the most futile of ways, trying hard to escape.

"Trust me, piggy, there's nothing better to wish for in a time like this. Just trust me on that one," Sakura murmured, burying her face in her back in embarrassment. Ino's cries quieted a bit. Though she was still suspicious of Haruno, she relaxed. She had to admit, it was comfortable to say the least.

"I…I…I don't…k-know wha-what you…you could possibly w-want from m-m-me," Ino said, trying to talk over her hiccups.

"No, I don't want anything. I just understand your situation, that's all."

"I…I don't…owe you for this…okay?"

"I never said you did," replied Sakura, as gently as she could. Another wave of tears followed soon after, causing her to hold onto her even tighter. It wasn't long before Ino cried herself to sleep in her arms.

In the silence, Haruno found herself lost in deep thought, trying her best to untangle the web of her situation. Unconsciously, she reached over and wiped away the lingering tears with her hand. _It's true that you understand, but that doesn't explain why you're doing this for her. She deserves it, doesn't she? _Haruno thought to herself. She slid down a little lower so she could lean against the tub without hitting her head against the faucet. Her limbs relaxed a little, and she allowed herself to stretch her legs a bit more as did Ino as she curled up on top of her.

_Even in her sleep she looks a little disturbed…Ah, no matter what happens, no one deserves this kind of thing. This will be one hell of a scar in the future. But as long as she gets the support, she won't end up like me…hopefully. _She cringed a little as her old memories resurfaced. _When you think about it, it isn't really her fault, is it? Brilliant, Sakura, just what the hell have you been doing. This was what you wanted, wasn't it? Fuck, Temari warned me last night. I thought he'd just bitch at every little thing, grope her at the most. How was I supposed to know? Ugh…no excuses, Sakura. It's your stupid pride… the same precious pride you've finally sewn back together over the years. You wanted to hurt her. But you never actually wanted to. Get your priorities straight,_ she sighed. _I really couldn't have expected this though…I would if I had only looked closer. So now what? Are you going to come up with a better plan to ruin her life even more? _

She groaned. _You promised yourself you wouldn't let your emotions get the best of you, especially those concerning her. But it's happening _again_. You promised yourself that if she died, you wouldn't even blink, but you'd be sure to be the cause of it. But now look at you. You're so pathetic, you know?_ In attempt to save herself from the headache, she tried to put a stop to her train of thought and dissemble it completely. She didn't want to think anymore. _You should've broken her shoulder just to get it over with. At least she wouldn't have had to experience this, and she'd think for sure that you're just some psychotic, cold-blooded human being. At least that way you won't have to feel all this useless guilt._

_It just hurts too much,_ Sakura finally admitted with a heavy sigh. _Despite it all, everything is my fault. Your thirst for revenge has been satisfied, so be happy._ She paused and made a face._ Funny how I imagined everything would look much brighter four years ago. Four years ago…I've changed a lot haven't I? But the one thing that holds me back just has to be that one thing I can't change. Happiness just doesn't come easy, does it? Maybe…maybe you should just let her go. _

X

"Where the hell is Sakura?" Temari growled as she burst into the library for the third time that afternoon. She had done so another time before after she had given her necessary reports just to receive a comfort hug from Tenten before diving back into the emotional battlefield. She hated having to give out those monotone textbook-like reports, mainly because she knew her father's heart was never really there while she spoke, as he never cared much for the country anyhow. He'd just there to fulfil his so-called responsibilities. However, he no doubt tried to put up an interested demeanour when Gaara reported. It wasn't that he particularly likes him or anything-- in fact it was probably safe to say he detested him--but he had to somehow show that he understood his competence. If she and Kankurou hadn't been born to one of his victims, then Kankurou would've no doubt taken the throne. Fortunately, Gaara already promised himself, and secretly the people of Suna, that he would become everything his father wasn't. No one doubted him for a second that he would make a great king. It was only experience that held him back.

_If only the bastard would die faster. _Temari found herself thinking. She used to berate herself for being so heartless. But after all the strife he put the family through, she decided to not go through the trouble anymore. It was probably inherited from her father, who was ten times more heartless than she could ever be.

Tenten looked up from her laptop and merely shrugged before turning back to the device again. "I haven't seen her since she ran out. What did you tell her anyway? Actually, better yet…what did you do to her?" she said with her eyes trained on the screen.

"Really now, would I ever cheat on you like that?" Temari replied with a hand on her hip.

"Reminder: we're not together. You can do what you want. Anyway, I heard her footsteps thumping up the stairs if that helps any. Is she helping you with dinner?"

"Yeah, and thanks."

As quietly as she could, Temari slipped out of the library undetected and padded up the stairs to Ino's room. Seeing no one, she examined the closed bathroom door. Locked. She hurried around to Haruno's side and tried the same thing. Locked again. Apprehensively, she grabbed her keys from her room and opened the lock. From what she could see, there was no one there. Logically speaking, however, there was nowhere for them to hide. Except…

She began to call their names when, seemingly out of nowhere, a bar of soap flew at her, narrowly missing her head. Furrowing her brows, she picked up the bar from its residing place on the floor. Flipping it over in her hand, she saw the words "Get out NOW" engraved in roughly and almost illegibly. To herself, she grinned mischievously and tiptoed over to the bathtub, where the soap was assumingly thrown. She peeked into the tub, trying to make as little movement as possible.

For a second, she thought it was her imagination playing tricks on her after all the drama. After all, how could there be a sleeping Ino curled up against a half asleep Sakura? It couldn't be Sakura glaring at her ever so subtly with her free arm draped on top of the other girl's waist. It couldn't be. But after a pinch at her own cheeks and a double take, it was confirmed that she really wasn't dreaming. Ino really was hurt bad enough to take comfort from the person who practically ruined her normal teenage life, and Sakura really did have feelings. As impossible as it sounded, it was true.

Quickly, and not so quietly, after running herself into the counter, Temari exited the room, too shocked to take it all in. But one thing was for certain when she took the chance to take a clear look at the blonde. With her tear-streaked face and her usually perfect blonde hair rustled up like the coat of a shaggy retriever, she was definitely not okay. As Temari made her way downstairs, she began to wonder how Ino would be able to cope, especially with her father here. _No,_ she said in realization, frozen in mid-step down the staircase, _he has to go. And so does Ino… Sakura has to let her go._ But the familiar feeling of guilt took over again. _Do I...tell Tenten? _She let out an involuntary groan. _As if I haven't kept enough secrets around her. No good. I guess I'll leave it up to Sakura, hopefully she's smart enough, not that I ever doubted her intelligence. If not, I'll wait and talk to her myself. _

Temari swiftly descended the rest of the staircase and swept across the foyer, slowing down to a graceful, easy stride as she approached the living room. She cleared her throat loudly, but suddenly felt a little nervous when her family's curious eyes turned on her. "I have an announcement to make," she said in her most dignified voice after she regained her composure, "Grandmother and I will personally prepare the meal for tonight's dinner." _Wow, didn't that sound lame, Temari._ Fortunately, her father merely gave her a non-committal grunt and turned around with his back to her. The others, including Grandmother herself, looked at her curiously, but were quick to take the hint. The old woman excused herself and brushed past Temari with a concerned look on her face, taking the furthest route to the kitchen. Temari joined her without hesitation.

"Are you concerned about Ino?" Grandmother asked as soon as they were alone.

"Was it that obvious?" Temari replied, sighing warily.

"Your countenance reveals many things, believe it or not."

"Yes, well, Father has to leave."

"How is she?"

"Bad!" Temari exclaimed, stupefied by her grandmother's obvious question. "She cried herself to sleep. Sakura is…er, watching her right now."

"I see, so that is why we are here, hm?"

"Really Grandmother, why must you ask all these obvious questions?" Temari said distractedly.

Grandmother's lips curled in a small smile. "I can understand, Temari. I will try to talk to him. If he is reluctant still, I will ask Gaara to persuade him."

"Thank you. So much. I'm just…yeah, thanks."

To no surprise, her grandmother chuckled and grinned cunningly, an expression Temari had seen many times in her own reflection. "Well then, I believe I am not needed here after all. I will proceed with my mission and fetch Tenten-kun for you." She winked. "What you need now is a little stress-reliever, a little taste of the norm. Your norm, that is."

Temari returned her smile with an appreciative grin. "You're amazing, Grandmother. Really, I love you. It just makes me wonder how you gave birth to such a fucked up human being." Realizing what she just said she quickly covered her mouth, as if trying to swallow her long-gone words. But the other woman merely maintained her smile with an understanding nod before excusing herself.

About five minutes later, just as Temari was pulling out the last of the ingredients she needed, Tenten stepped through the door.

"Hi," Tenten said rather meekly as she approached the island where Temari worked.

"Hi yourself," Temari smiled.

"Did something happen? Grandmother looked a little…I can't really describe it. Overexcited but concerned? And I doubt its just about feeding me to biggest she-wolf in the world."

Temari shook her head. "Nah, just doubting your culinary skills maybe," she replied, trying to distract herself.

"Hah, well I don't really blame her. I can't really make all the high-class stuff you're probably making right now. I can help with preparation though."

"You can just stand there and look pretty and I wouldn't complain."

"Maybe I'll do just that then."

"I said I wouldn't complain, but I didn't say I wouldn't do anything else," she teased with a waggle of her brows. "You have no idea how much your affecting me with that little dress of yours."

"Just cook, Temari, just cook," Tenten said with a roll of her eyes, despite the blood rising to her cheeks.

"I'll try, Tenten, I'll try," she replied playfully, leaning over and surprising the brunette with a kiss.

Together they worked busily once Temari dropped the playful side of her, donning a more assertive and dictating attitude. It was kind of strange for Tenten to be alone in same room as her and feel almost invisible, being called on only when needed. But time was limited and it was only because of Temari's concentrated focus on her responsibilities that they were able to cook up a small feast in the small time frame they had been given.

"Take the cutlery and the napkins and help me set up the dining room," Temari said, picking up a stack of plates topped with two bread baskets, balancing in the marginal space precariously.

"Right." Tenten quickly grabbed the items and hurried after her. There was a sliding door at the end of the kitchen that no one quite noticed. "I never knew there was a dining room here. It's really…grand…like everything else," Tenten commented, admiring the wood-panelled walls, the polished wooden floors and the Victorian-style windows.

"Yeah, we don't use it much. Too big and empty that's why. And it's a little hard to notice from the outside because this part of the house is right at the edge of the cliff. So not a good place to be in the event of an earthquake," Temari replied jokingly.

Tenten set down the silverware gently on the lace tablecloth that covered the long table, deniably daunted by the number of seats surrounding it. "Do you even _need_ this many chairs?"

"You'd be surprised. Just set them all on one end. Come over here and I'll help you out. Placements are of utmost importance, and I doubt you'd be forgiven if you made even the tiniest mistake like putting a fork in place of a spoon, which is actually a pretty big mistake."

Finally, they finished after a lot of frustration on Tenten's part. "My family only uses chopsticks and we're surviving fine," Tenten had grumbled, earning her an amused laugh from Temari. If it was a family dinner anyway, why can't they just use the same fork, knife, and spoon for everything? This family was so distant, it was almost diplomatic. That would certainly explain Temari's unquenchable thirst for attention.

"Now…we finally get to relax," the sandy-haired girl sighed once the place-setting was over as she leaned onto the brunette beside her. Tenten merely nodded, fearing, but excited at the same time, what Temari may be scheming for the two of them. It didn't surprise her when Temari's lips found her own with one fluid move of her head. What _did_ surprise her was how familiar it was all beginning to feel, and how easy she was giving into her now.

"Someone is going to see us," Tenten breathed once Temari pulled back for air.

"Don't worry, they won't be in here until we call," Temari replied just as throatily. She dove in again with more intensity this time. Tenten felt a little giddy when things heated up. She found her hands unconsciously tugging at the other girl's clothes. And when she opened her eyes, she had somehow ended up almost in a sitting position on top of the table.

"Well, well," a jeering voice said suddenly, immediately breaking the sensuous momentum. Temari pulled away immediately, her eyes wide with panic as she left Tenten in her dazed state. "Still a no-good dyke I see."

Temari cleared her throat nervously, eyes roaming awkwardly. "Father, I believe that kind of language is inappropriate for someone of your status."

"Inappropriate? Mm, would you prefer…say, a disgraceful, useless deviant? However, you can hardly be the one to tell me about what is inappropriate or not. But if you were to degrade yourself and shame the family, must you choose someone of--to put it lightly--such…low calibre?" He clicked his tongue in a patronizing manner, and it took everything inside Temari to keep herself from marching over and punching him in the face.

At that moment, Tenten finally clued in. She narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to say something, but Temari stopped her with a stern look. "Father please, dinner is ready. Let us not spoil our appetite again." Her voice changed again, Tenten noticed. It was just like yesterday in the library, her voice switching quickly and fluidly from easy going to business-like velvet. The two of them glanced beyond his shoulder and caught a wisp of Gaara's red hair behind him. They were listening, no doubt.

"Well then," he said, striding towards the table, "why don't you tell the servant-girl to get off you and hurry it up with the food?" Temari's jaw tightened, but didn't say anything. She looked at Tenten apologetically, who nodded in reply, and took a seat once the brunette had disappeared into the kitchen.

"I should let you all know," her father spoke again after everyone had seated, "that I have invited someone to live with you. I will be residing at the usual hotel as originally planned. She will be here for as long as it is needed of her, and will be assisting Temari in her Minister position. This girl, she is quite…fond of you, you know?" He casted a sidelong glance at Tenten, looking pleased when she set down a dish in front of Kankurou shakily.

"She will be arriving any time now. And so you know, I have also asked of her to surveillance your activities in my place. So please refrain from doing things that are…spiteful to me," he said, glancing pointedly at Temari. As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Without instruction, Baki loyally excused himself to receive the guest. There was some light chatter, followed by a musical laugh that echoed through the entire house through the empty foyer. There was a great deal of thumping as suitcases were manoeuvred into the house. But the dining room was quiet with anticipation. Ino's situation may have been impromptu, even for the King himself, but this special guest was no coincidence. Somehow, he must've known exactly what to do to ruin Temari's stay in Konoha.

Not five minutes later, Baki reappeared in the doorway. All heads turned as he stepped aside to let in a girl. She was tall and fair-skinned, with a delicate air about her, with short, wavy, black hair and straightened bangs. Her clothes were made by nothing less than the top designers of the globe, and radiated a sense of importance and aristocracy. Her searching eyes were green, but many tones lighter than the siblings' with tinges of blue. She was altogether beautiful, but the company was unexpectedly aghast to see her--especially Temari, who almost choked on the piece of bread she had snatched earlier.

"I trust you all remember Feylinn," the King said, giving the subject in question a pleased smile, "the Prime Minister's granddaughter."

"Hello," she said bashfully. She addressed the entire table, but Tenten didn't fail to notice that her eyes were strictly set on Temari, who openly gaped at her in genuine shock. A little too zealously, Feylinn bounded over and took the empty seat next to Temari. The sandy-blonde eyed her in amazement. "I apologize for imposing without notice, but I have studied alongside my granddaddy, so I hope to be of help to you."

"It's fine. I believe we can work well together, Feylinn," Temari replied tactfully.

"Please, we have known each other too long to be so formal, you used to simply call me Fey, or have you forgotten?"

"Of course not. But it has been almost two years since we came here, and you have grown much, I fear that a shortened nickname may not be suitable for a lady of your class," Temari said suavely. Standing behind Grandmother across the table, Tenten did not fail to see Temari's eyes drop to her chest when she said the word 'grown'. The brunette mentally kicked herself for fuming at this and quickly averted her eyes as she went around with the bottle of champagne.

"You see, Temari," the King's scornful voice rang out again, "if you must deviate, then why would you bother with a wretch like her when you have someone--"

"Father," Temari cut him off abruptly.

At the man's comment, Tenten accidentally tipped over Kankurou's glass when she retracted her arm in haste. She muttered an apology and received a sympathetic look from Kankurou before she hurried off to get a cloth from the kitchen.

"You see? No grace, no intelligence, and not even the most minimal beauty. A girl like her can be picked off of any corner of any street. I gave you your good looks, Temari," he continued patronizing, "please refrain from utilizing them for the wrong reasons."

Feylinn looked unexpectedly horrified. "Temari! Really? Please tell me if I have heard wrong, but you have been pursuing the maid?"

"She's not a maid. Just a friend who agreed to cater for us."

"Oh…are Konoha's choices really that bad?"

"Feylinn, please don't sound so disdain," Temari chastised warily.

"I merely wish the best for you, Temari," she latched onto her arm, 'coincidentally' keeping it between her breasts. "I'm sure you can do much better," she purred. _Oh god, she really hasn't changed a bit besides hitting puberty, _Temari thought to herself. _Or maybe I'm just slow to notice and she didn't change at all, period. _

Gaara cleared his throat and intercepted the conversation, finally deciding to break the discomfort of the rest of the table as they watched the exchange. "Father, didn't you have something to tell us?"

The man put on an overenthusiastic expression and praised his son for his sense of initiative, which he very visibly cringed at. "Of course, but my plans are confidential, so please, Temari, if you would do the honours." She sighed and leaned back in her seat, gesturing to Tenten, who was emerging from the kitchen with a clean cloth, to stay where she was. The aggravated Tenten threw the cloth onto the counter and stormed through the kitchen and into the foyer.

X

Ino's eyes felt heavy. It took her a few tries to fully open them, and a few more tries to be able to focus anything. At first, she felt relieved, and it seemed that everything had only been a surreal nightmare. She stared at the white ceiling, unsure if her focus had fully set in or not. Her mind was slow to react, and all she knew was that she was very comfortable, but very cold. She shifted around, unconsciously snuggling into the unknown source of heat.

A voice behind her suddenly groaned very close to her ear.

Ino felt goose bumps rising on her arms and a shiver down her spine. At first, she tried to convince herself that she was still dreaming. It couldn't possibly be who she dimly remembered it to be. Suddenly, reality hit her like a hundred tonnes of bricks. She could feel herself growing faint as her mind remembered all the disturbing images. There was that familiar feeling of dread gnawing at her again, but this time somehow irritated her tear ducts as well. She tried to sit up, but felt a pair of arms strapped loosely around her waist. She froze, and stiffly twisted around to see who was behind her.

Oddly enough to the blonde, she wasn't all too startled to see that it was Haruno with her head against the faucet, looking a little tense as she slept. Her features appeared drained, as if she had only very recently fallen asleep after long depravation of rest. Ino found herself staring at her, as if it would make her vanish and she'd wake up from this awful dream. But she didn't. Instead, she began to stir, much to Ino's horror.

"Ugh, what time is it?" she muttered sleepily, watching Ino blankly through half-lidded eyes. Her neck was stiff, and it took a while for any sort of feeling to return to her limbs. Ino immediately tried to push herself off of her, and instead collapsed at the other end of the tub.

Haruno yawned and slumped over in a sitting position. She peered at her with half-lidded eyes, looking as if she was about to collapse back into slumber any moment. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. You didn't…do anything, did you?"

"Not consciously. It was kind of hard keeping you warm though," she replied, making Ino wonder if she was aware of what she was saying at all.

They sat in silence for a minute, both lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Ino started again on another curious subject she hadn't thought about until now after seeing a softer side to Sakura. She needed some kind of distraction and what better for that then a much-needed explanation? "You know…last night? When you called me into your room…"

"Yeah, I needed help with my portfolio, why?"

"Portfolio? Isn't that kind of inappropriate for school? Not that I would know."

Sakura frowned, her face lighting up a bit in wakefulness. "Inappropriate? I guess it could be classed as costume fetishism if that's what you're getting at. But I wasn't going to use that picture. I just wanted to see how you'd look on camera."

"C-costume? I thought…"

"I told you it'd be a trial. I do need a certain set of photos, but I wouldn't do anything uncomfortable. Even if I went as extreme as nude photos, it'd be censored somehow…if that's the conclusion you jumped to. Telling by your reaction, that's probably what you had in mind. Though I'm pretty sure I didn't mention a single word about racy photos. I originally planned for you to pose in the maid outfit yesterday as a test, and then follow it up with street clothes. My plan is mostly nature-oriented, so I thought your appearance would make a good contrast," she explained slowly.

"Why didn't you say so yesterday? Why the hell did you have to attack me?" Ino snapped back.

"Look, it's probably not something you can comprehend," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Do you know the term _paranoia_? When certain things happen in your life, you change. It all depends on which direction you turn and how far you can go before your game ends," she said quietly. She shook her head warily; she didn't want to think about it anymore.

"You hungry?"

"No, I think I'll just go to bed," Ino replied, much calmer than she felt, as she combed her fingers through her dishevelled hair.

"You can stay in my room," Haruno offered a little too quickly. She didn't want to mention the state of her bed in case there was that one sliver of a chance that she might've forgotten.

Ino looked at her dubiously, but was too tired to protest. She'd rather die than go back to her own room. "Yeah, sure." There was an undeniably fearful look in her eyes.

"You should shower first. I'll get you something to eat. You'll feel better that way, and you'd probably be able to sleep faster."

"Fine," she said obediently, looking distracted.

Haruno got up and left through Ino's side of the bathroom, feeling a little more relieved to hear the shower running. First things first, she changed the sheets. Then she picked up the pyjamas she had lent her two days prior as well as the bag of lingerie and snuck back into the bathroom, placing them on the counter. As she turned to exit again, she noticed a pile of suitcases sitting in one corner of the room, and began to question whether or not those were there before. After she cleaned up the room, she headed downstairs. It was already eight as she had seen on Ino's clock. It didn't take long to realize that the entire second floor was empty.

"Temari?" she called warily into the library. She was surprised to see an unfamiliar face pop out from one of the nearby shelves. "Hello," Haruno said, involuntarily gaping at the doll-like figure.

"Hi," the girl replied with a pleasant smile. "And who might you be?"

"I should be asking you," she said with a tinge of suspicion.

"My name is Feylinn, a childhood friend of Temari's. I will be staying here as long as I am needed."

"You look a little familiar."

"Ah, you noticed? You must have a rather amazing memory. Sarutobi is my grandfather's best friend. I have accompanied them many times in front of the media, but am seldom mentioned, so I'm surprised you remember my face."

"Sarutobi…Konoha's Prime Minister, huh? I do tend to remember the strangest things. Well, uh, I'm Haruno Sakura, a friend of Temari's as well. I'm just staying here. I don't suppose handshakes are necessary?" Feylinn giggled and daintily shook her head.

"Ah, introductions aside, have you seen Temari or Tenten?"

"Would this 'Tenten' be the name of that oriental servant-girl?"

"Er, yeah."

"I haven't seen her since the start of dinner, granted I wasn't exactly being the nicest," she said softly, hinting a small amount of remorse. "In compensation, I won't disturb them, so I don't believe you should either."

Haruno shrugged. Carefully, she assessed the mysterious new girl. There was something about the way she said her last sentence that seemed off. Something expectant, but surely it wasn't her business. "That's fine, I can manage."

"Would you like to have some tea with me?" she heard her inquire right when she was about to leave. Haruno bit her lip, unsure if she would be offended if she refused. There was always some sort of fine line between normal people and the especially high-class people, so it's good to be on the safe side. On the other hand, she had promised Ino food. In any other circumstances, she really wouldn't mind spending time with a pretty girl like her, and she'd have plenty of time later anyway.

"Maybe a little later if you don't mind, I have a small errand to run," Haruno said. Feylinn looked a little surprised at first, as if not quite used to rejection. She looked like the type who didn't take no for an answer, but appearances can be deceiving.

"Don't worry about it. We all have our obligations. It'd just be nice to have someone to talk to in these foreign lands. The King asked me to come here on such short notice, it will take some time to settle down. But I'm sure there is nothing that can't be learned from all these books. Although it's not quite the same as conversation." She sighed almost mournfully, causing a feeling of unease to settle inside Sakura.

"Sorry, if you'll excuse me," Haruno said quickly before she changed her mind about staying. Once outside, a thought hit her. _I think she just tried to guilt-trip me. _But the idea was dismissed with a vigorous shake of the head. _Nah, don't be so full of yourself, Sakura. As if someone like her would do such a thing. That's like something Ino would do. _

Half an hour later, Haruno entered her room just in time to greet Ino as she came out of the shower. Her eyes were dead and red-rimmed, and her long hair hadn't been combed. She was so tired she had even worn her shirt backwards, as Haruno had noticed.

"I made some soup," Haruno announced, gesturing for the other girl to take a seat on the bed.

"If you don't think that I suspect you of anything, you're dead wrong," Ino said quietly in spite of herself. Though she did as she was told, she was stiff as a board when Sakura approached her with the tray. "You're doing this out of guilt, aren't you?"

"Doing what for what?"

"All _this_! All your hugging and your sympathy and bullshit and whatnot, it's more scary than it is comforting."

"Look, I told you that you don't owe me for this, just let me do this so I can live with myself, alright?"

"So it was your fault," Ino whispered accusingly. "You let me in there knowing he'd do that to me…" She was trembling again, her eyes focused on her balled up fists, refusing to look the other girl in the eye. She didn't accept the tray that she held in front of her.

"It's true that Temari warned me that he had a thing for girls like you, but none of us could have even imagined something like this would happen so soon without warning. Well, I would never have at least. I figured the worse he would do is grope you a little. You know, harmless and disgusting things that men tend to do. But it's complicated, okay?"

"Please…you don't have to explain. You should go, Haruno."

"Look, if it makes you feel any better--"

"Just go!" Ino screamed, feeling the hot tears again. But Haruno wasn't daunted. After placing the tray on a safe spot, she marched over and grabbed the girl by the shoulders, earning a wide-eyed stare from her bloodshot blue eyes.

"Listen to me!" she said, shaking her gently. She wanted to shake her firmly to illustrate her irritation, but she held back, afraid to scare the other girl. However, her eyes raged. "It's true that I brought you here but you were intended to be solely _my _toy. I had never intended to share but that doesn't mean I want this kind of stuff to fall on you. If I wanted you violated, I would've done it myself! And before you correct me, I know I did something stupid at the Halloween dance, but what I did wasn't intended to hurt you in any way. It was so brief that I didn't believe it would leave too much of a scar." She gritted her teeth, biting onto each word as it escaped her mouth, fully annoyed more at herself than anyone else. "I'll tell you something right now. Don't ask any questions, because I don't even know why I'm sacrificing this for you. The thing is," she paused, averting her hard eyes uncertainly then took in a deep breath, "…there never was a video. I lied. I had to or else you'll blab. I've taken enough sympathies from Tsunade, and I can't possibly waste her efforts by doing something so crude. I disabled the camera before you came in."

Ino didn't say anything. Frustrated, Sakura shook her again, "This means you're free to walk, alright? I know that despite what I'm saying, it's no excuse for going overboard at the dance. Don't ask me why I even came up with a plan like that, because _I_ don't even want to know." She dropped her hands and shook her head, and chuckled half-heartedly, "Damn bastard…I would've never intended to tell you otherwise. But you know what? Even If I told you that I never intended for this to happen…you wouldn't believe me anyway, would you? I'll leave. But believe you me, its better this way. You'll just worry your dad more if you go home." She moved the tray beside her on the bed and abruptly turned to leave.

X

"Tente-e-e-en," Temari whined, "talk to me already-y-y-y. That magazine can't be _that _interesting. I'm sorry for what they said. It wasn't my fault, okay? It's not like I asked for Feylinn to come! That girl annoys the hell out of me, but it's my duty to appease her. Please don't be mad." She shifted from her position beside her on the couch to the floor, staring up at her with her best pitiful expression as she grabbed onto her hands.

Finally, Tenten heaved a sigh, fed up with Temari's endless badgering and dropped the magazine onto her lap. "I'm not mad, alright? Why would I be? What you do is your business, it's not like I have you on a leash," she said matter-of-factly, withdrawing her hand to cross her arms.

"If you weren't mad then you wouldn't have ignored me!"

"I'm not ignoring you. This is a good article, okay?"

Temari frowned. "What can be so interesting in a car mag? I only have those for the pictures and stuff, just so you know."

"Yeah well, you know, there are…articles," Tenten asserted despite how clearly embarrassed she was.

"You're so cute," Temari laughed. "But since you're not mad at me…do you remember what you said this morning?"

"No."

"Don't be like that. You've kept me waiting for long enough, you know that?"

"Huh, well. You've got Feylinn. She's taller than me, prettier than me, smarter and more refined. You obviously shouldn't be wasting your time on me."

"Tenten, that girl is almost my height. It's…it's…unnatural. For me, that is." Temari sat up on the couch again and pulled the other girl close, resting her head on the brunette's. "You feel so much better in my arms," she whispered with a contented sigh.

Tenten made a face, and squirmed out of her hold. "That's so cheesy."

"Come on Tenten, green is definitely not a good colour for you. I'm telling you I don't like Feylinn like that. God, we grew up together. That's almost incest!"

"She obviously doesn't feel the same way," Tenten said matter-of-factly, picking up the magazine again.

"No," Temari said as she grabbed the magazine from her and threw it onto the ground, "I don't care how she feels. You're the one I want, not her!"

"I was going to read that," Tenten replied lamely.

"No you weren't. Do you understand a word of what I'm saying here?"

"Yeah, you're trying hard but you _really_ don't have to explain."

"Tenten. I. Don't. Like. Feylinn. Do. You. Understand?"

"Okay, I get it," Tenten sighed. "I'll give you a choice here to clear up all misunderstandings. It's the same as this morning: one-night-stand or a game of love. It's your call."

"That's not what you said this morning," Temari said, her face contorted in disapproval and disappointment.

"Yes it was."

"No! You didn't say it was a one-night-stand."

"I warned you."

"You're not being fair, Tenten…"

"It's your choice. But I mean…I'm yours to take," she said with a sudden sultry edge.

"Tenten…don't provoke me," warned Temari.

"You were right, you know. I have wanted this more than I can ever admit."

Temari did not fail to notice the drop in her voice. It was wrong, but the more seductive side of her was winning her out fast. "Tenten, stop. Please." _Why?_ A corner of Temari's conscience asked. _You did everything for this didn't you? Remember that day at Gaara's birthday. You vowed to yourself that you'd get yourself in her pants. Now she's right there, practically on your lap. Why are you stopping yourself from reaching that goal?_

_No!_ Another part of her told her. But as Tenten continued her advances, the righteous voices began dimming. _It's wrong. So wrong. You can't do this. You care--_

Suddenly, Tenten threw herself forward and launched a heated kiss Temari would never have predicted. It felt different to be the submissive one for a change, but she allowed the younger girl to do what she wanted. Coherent thought was quick to slip her mind anyway as she ran her hand through her hair. Tenten grasped blindly at her clothing, and finally managed to pull her shirt out of her pants. The two of them then fumbled together as they attacked Temari's belt. Once the clasp was undone, Tenten broke the kiss. He hands slowed down a bit, though never stopping as she drew on her naked flesh as Temari began working at her own clothes. "This…is your last chance," Tenten said breathily, "to turn back…" But her eyes were dark with lust. It had only taken that much to light a fire inside her. Her mind had won out her heart. She didn't speak, focused only on the touching.

Tenten closed her eyes. It wasn't like she had to get married to her, but some suspicions and emotions were building up to be too strong to be ignored. She would be lying if she said everything would work out for the better, but as for tonight, she would let go. Because love didn't exist for her, someone like Temari could've never wanted more from someone like her. She had always known but she didn't want to believe it. Ino was right. This strange relationship would only lead to pain. Who knows how she'd be able to take it if she found out Temari's ulterior motive later on when it was too late? While it was still early, she had to break it off now. There had always been a part of her that hoped for Temari's love, despite the time she had invested in developing this plan. And if she was to move on and go back to living her normal life, it was that part of her that had to die.

She would surrender herself for one night, if only to satisfy her own feelings.

* * *

**A/N: As far as justifying the situation goes, this is as good as the plot allows. I spent a lot of time with small details and would've uploaded two days ago if I had the time. I know how bad the last chapter sat with most of you, but if you still think it's not good enough, then why don't you tell me what to do. **

**Most of you may not know, but this story's "hits" have dropped significantly since chapter 12. It's a little heartbreaking to say the least. The lengths of each chapter aren't going to get any shorter per upload. **

**Of course, I know that it's my fault, but reviews would be helpful. So please, please, send in any comments or questions. If you send in a flame and it is a legitimate argument, I encourage you to stop being a coward and leave an email so I can explain. If you're flaming for the sake of flaming, then please just go away.  
**

**Also, don't expect anything for the month of March as I have a lot to do on top of a trip back to Hong Kong. However, I'll keep track of the traffic so the next chapter may come sooner or later depending on how that goes. Though there is a chance that I will be doing some one-shots and what-not. **

**It is not a writer's block, I just need a break from this story and focus on other things. And despite what many of you think, I will not be giving up on this story without warning. Flames are discouraging, but only for so long. This is my project, so read if you wish, don't read it if you don't want to. The only reason updates are slow is because of school...and the amount of alone time I get to write this. **

**So I hope this satisfies. Once again, please leave any concerns, questions, or comments.  
**


	16. Far Gone

Chapter 16: Far Gone

Temari woke up with a shock of fear in her stomach. At first, she was confused. Her body was relaxed and she felt content. Where she should've felt satisfied, she was afraid. When she found her full conscience, she suddenly remembered Tenten's agreement--what she said before she lost control of herself. She sighed to herself, but she didn't dare move a limb. Her whole body was numb with a trace amount of fatigue from last night. Never had she worked herself hard enough to still feel it in the morning. Tenten's stamina amazed her to no end. But if she moved, she feared that feeling would return to her limbs and she would feel an empty space beside her. Last night…she could almost smile. Reality wasn't so kind as to let her. She tried to go back to sleep, though she couldn't help but berate herself, giving room to more and more wakefulness.

_You know, Temari,_ she told herself. _You shouldn't really worry about it too much. You worked hard for last night to get her to fall for you. Who cares if she actually fell in love with you or not, she was the one who initiated it. So it's nothing like rape. Huh…all that effort to not look like I'm fooling around. But who the fuck am I kidding? I should've saved time since the start. But…if I hadn't done everything, I think I would've missed out on one of the best fucks I've ever had. _

She allowed herself a sly smile as she reran the images in her mind. _She was so cute when we reciprocated._ Before her thoughts let her dig deeper in reminiscence, her smile reverted into a frown. _I fucked up, didn't I? _

Gradually, she let herself wake up. Keeping her eyes closed, her arm fell to her right side--where Tenten had been. Temari dreaded the possibility that she would leave as soon as they were through, but Tenten had fallen asleep at the brink of dawn after the relentless hours they spent in bed. It wasn't long before she had drifted off the sleep as well.

Temari felt around, mostly grasping at nothing but she was too afraid to open her eyes to check. Reaching towards the edge of her king-sized bed, a wave of relief washed over her when her fingertips found a source of human warmth. Impulsively, she inched over and wrapped her arms tightly around the other girl--and fortunately it was a girl, though Temari couldn't imagine who else the other person may be. She grasped onto her, burying her face into the crook of her neck, so fervently that she stirred.

"Temari?" she mumbled sleepily. Temari froze and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

Temari shot up into a sitting position, roughly grabbing the other girl by the shoulders to face her. Hair as black as night, turquoise eyes, angular face. Tenten was gone, and the blonde felt nothing but the blazing anger inside her. "What the fuck are you doing in my bed?" Temari demanded, slowly chewing on every word before spitting them out. The other girl rubbed her eyes, confused and drunk with sleep.

Finally, Feylinn blushed when she noticed Temari's state of dress, and tried to avert her eyes. "No reason, you just looked a little lonely when I saw you this morning."

"How early this morning?" Right now, she couldn't care less that her blankets had betrayed her nudity to the world. Her eyes didn't show a speck of her usual humour.

"I-I don't--"

"How. Early. This. Morning?"

"A-about s-seven o'clock?"

She narrowed her eyes and dropped her arms. A short glance towards her alarm clock told her that it was little more than 9:30. "L-look," Feylinn spoke again, easing her shoulder, "I didn't mean to do anything. I-I just wanted to sleep beside you for a bit. I know it's childish and kind of dumb, b-but I just saw you and couldn't help it."

"Save it," Temari scowled, shaking her head, "I gotta get to school."

Feylinn gaped at her alarmingly, suddenly particularly alert. "School? But you can't! You were supposed to have dropped out of your last course on Friday."

"I know, but I wanted to finish what I started."

"You have already accomplished what you wanted with that oriental girl," Feylinn mumbled.

She couldn't help but shrink into herself a little when Temari grit her teeth and casted a venomous glare Feylinn had never seen before. "That's not what I meant," Temari replied. She took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. "Sakura and I started a project, an art project, that is. You see, she wants to go into art, and is aiming for a big school. I figured I'd help her earn some credits by adding to her impressive portfolio. Even though it's not directly assigned to us, and isn't done at school, I don't want to leave before it gets completed. I started a few things myself, and I want to make sure I finish at least the majority. You can also think of it as an excuse to be with my friends."

"Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'?"

"Why are you sacrificing so much for your hobby at a time like this?"

"I don't like breaking promises. And I promised Sakura that I'd at least finish our big collaboration project," she said simply. She would never betray her real reason, no matter how obvious it was.

Temari sighed. "She's my friend." Despite the time she's been away from her, it was apparent that Feylinn hadn't grown a bit.

"But your duties to the country--"

"You know she and I are a lot alike. Our tempers for one are identically short."

It didn't take a genius to figure out what she meant by her last statement. To get on her better side, Feylinn decided to play along. "H-how did you become friends? She seems very nice when I met her yesterday, but she does not seem like the type of person with a whole lot of benefits to befriending."

At that, Temari couldn't help but feel sorry for her, though she was much too angry with her to voice and concerns. "I don't know, really. I saw her one day, walking by the school last May. I've seen her before a couple times. She wasn't anything special to be sure, but she stuck out to me. Back then, she didn't even show her pink hair yet. It was black, like yours. But it was dyed. She wore coloured contacts too--brown. She was insecure and didn't want anyone to see her. Her natural features were much too noticeable.

"Anyway, I'd occasionally see her pass by the school. Her eyes would linger on it, but she would never go in. She'd always have a certain look on her face that I can't quite describe. Kind of forlorn and kinda lost, but almost hateful at the same time. And she just intrigued me, that's all. So I approached her. She was cold the first time, but I kept on trying. By the end of May, we became friends. She kept a lot of things from me, not that it's much different now. We all have secrets. Apparently she's been home-schooled for almost four years. And as for the benefits part, she became someone I trusted and relied on. Is that beneficial enough for you?"

"So somehow, you're feeling some sort of obligation to her," Feylinn said slowly, having a hard time trying to grasp at her explanation. "Or did you try really hard to get into her pants too?" Though she said that, her tone wasn't ill-intentioned and was merely just childishly blunt curiosity. Temari could tell right away after so many years of dealing with her, but she wasn't the least bit pleased at such a timely question.

"No. It's because we're friends. And this is something I'd like to finish as well, just so I can be free of it, you know?"

"Not really," she replied a little sheepishly. "All I know is that you're supposed to be cleaning up what's left of your work as a minister, even if it's temporary. You have to go back to Suna in a week."

"I know that, but I don't want to," Temari said simply. She finally got up and strode over to her desk, fully nude, to retrieve her robe. Feylinn flushed and desperately wished she would stop such crude behaviour.

"It is your father's orders, Temari," Feylinn said dutifully once the woman was dressed. Temari sighed. She understood how sheltered Feylinn was, but her naiveté was starting to really bother her. Since they were young, she had always had an impeccable sense of responsibility, and tried her best to reinforce any rules laid out by authority. It was no doubt annoying, especially when they were younger, but that was how she was raised. Temari saw her parents as slave-drivers in terms of her academics and everything else that was "for the future", not that Feylinn really noticed. As much as she sympathized, she wanted so many times to slap some sense into her. And not in the best of moods, this was definitely one of those times.

"If I don't finish this, I'll live the rest of my life regretting. Plus, I don't want this damn war to start. It's childish and--"

"It's for the sake of Suna, and we're not supposed to talk about that anymore." Her face suddenly hardened in seriousness.

"Feylinn," Temari said with a deep intake of breath, marching forward to seize her shoulders in vigorous shaking, "do yourself a favour and think for a second. Think outside your little box for _one_ second and consider a few things for me. Suna's economy is stable, and so is the livelihood of our citizens. Otogakure has been our long-time thorn, but let's not get into the ancient history. I personally don't care. Orochimaru has his little dictatorship going on, so why do we have to make their people suffer even more? By the looks of it, he hasn't even thought about attacking us, so what the hell does Father want? I think the answer lies in the fact that we're both small neighbouring countries. We may be somewhat prosperous, but we're small. Peaceful, but unnoticeable."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Simply put, my father is a disgusting and greedy man. He wants the land that they took from us eons ago. He wants fame and power, recognition from other countries, and perhaps the creation of a superpower--not that that'll ever happen."

"But he said Orochimaru was planning an attack! He sent spies to prove it! You can't possibly be badmouthing your own father like that," Feylinn said angrily.

"That was only word of mouth. You and I both know that. Whether you believe me or not isn't my concern. Just know that I will try my damn hardest to prevent this war before the week is over. Now leave me alone so I can get a bit of work done so I can go back to school later. I don't have the time to sit and argue with you."

X

Sakura stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, idly watching her toothbrush move in small circular motions. It was Monday, that much she was aware of, and there was nothing she dreaded more. Ino had kept her awake all night with the constant nightmares she had. She talked loudly in her sleep. Re-occurring images of Temari's father must've haunted her to no end. Just hearing her desperate cries sent shivers up Sakura's spine. She herself had given up on sleep long ago, and finally decided to get up when Ino fell into another lapse of slumber.

For some reason, Ino's behaviour sent her a reoccurring flashback. She couldn't figure out why she kept thinking about it, but she couldn't help but feel a little foreboding.

It was the second day of Ino's arrival, and she and Temari had left the two other girls alone. Temari had wanted to finish the mural. Everything was relatively recent, so the conversation stuck fresh in her mind.

"_We've got a lot of time, you know? Shouldn't we finish a few projects first?" Sakura asked. Temari flashed her a crooked smile, and kept quiet for a long time. She sat down on a short pile of neatly stacked paint cans and glanced around the room thoughtfully. The rainbow gradient background stretched around two walls, smoothly intertwining with the white, unpainted walls shortly after reaching the easternmost side of the room. Along the belt of colours were pictures, representations, or the two of them. There was a cherry blossom tree that bloomed at the doorway, its branches stretching out along a portion of the westernmost door. Haruno had complained about that at first, but the result was breathtaking. _

_Next was a silhouetted figure of Temari, proportionally drawn in life-size, with a brightly coloured desert flower in her hair for contrast. Her hand was stretched forward with a red rose in her hand and a small gathering of grey female figures behind her. It was just so typical of her. Later, they had even painted Sakura's shadow to match, putting her by her tree, with one arm touching the trunk, the other hidden beside her--solemn and perfectly befitting her image. _

_Along the second wall, Temari painted a picture of her Jaguar. Sakura, in turn, added her motorcycle. So far, that had already consumed most the space. For an effect, Sakura composed a few short poetic pieces. The typography fitted into the mural snugly. _

"_No," she said finally, absently tracing the rim of one of the paint cans beside her. "I don't."_

"_What are you--" _

"_No, listen. I don't think I have much time left." Alarmed at how that sounded, she quickly added, "In Konoha." She sighed at the confused and slightly dubious expression on Sakura's face. "It's kind of hard to explain, but I need to return to Suna soon. He hasn't told me directly yet, but I am pretty sure my father will want me back soon." _

"_Why now?"_

"_I can't say. I have a hunch, but I can't tell you. Think of it as military training."_

"_Military? Now you're losing me."_

"_Do you want to come with me?" _

"_What?"_

"_To Suna."_

_Haruno furrowed her brows, having a hard time following the conversation. "Why?"_

"_No reason really, I just want a friend to be there with me."_

"_Temari, Suna is your home." Sakura frowned. "You must have plenty of friends there."_

_Much to her surprise, Temari responded with a wry smile. "If only you knew, Sakura, if only you knew. Life is difficult over there. Konoha is as good a home as any."_

"_You're acting weird today."_

_She laughed, but her voice was drenched with heaviness. "Really? I guess so. It fucking sucks though. I'm dropping art sometime soon."_

"_What? Why?" Sakura said, suddenly very alarmed. _

"_I can't tell you right now, but I promise it won't be long before I have to give you a long overdue explanation."_

Haruno hadn't questioned her any further than that, although right now she definitely wished she had interrogated the answers out of her.

Suddenly, a dull thud sounded from her room, breaking her thoughts abruptly. She quickly rinsed out her mouth, nearly swallowing the water in haste, and hurried into the darkness of her quarters. She felt around and stumbled towards the general direction of the windows. It took a while for her to find the chord attached to blackening curtains that kept away the sun. As the rays streamed through, Haruno heard a whimper behind her. She pivoted around to see Ino hiding from the light inside a heap of blankets on the floor. It doesn't take any particular smarts to figure out the source of the sound from earlier.

"You know it's half an hour to ten and it's Monday," Haruno said after a quick glance at the clock. When she received no response, she marched over and tugged the blankets off the blonde. "It's been a rough night for all of us, but it's up to you to decide if you want to go to class or not."

"I must look like a wreck," Ino finally sighed, trying to regain control of her blankets to no avail. Her voice was still shaky, and her eyes were wide.

"Not much more than usual." Haruno crouched down to meet her washed out blue eyes. Her smirk was gone and her expression serious. "The trauma has put your life in a whole new lane. Today's the first day--how many more till you take that right turn?"

A long silence spread between them as Ino tried to grasp onto her thoughts. It took her some time to process the metaphor, but Sakura was surprisingly patient. "It's been less than twenty-four hours. I'm already feeling the traffic against me. I don't want to live with this."

Haruno went silent for a while. "You have to go back to school," she started quietly, trying to remain stern. "The longer you isolate yourself the more dangerous it will become for you. Now is the time to open up and begin noticing new things in order to distract yourself enough to forget. Do you understand? "

"Easy for you to say," Ino mumbled in reply. Her body went lax, almost as if she was trying to hide into herself, and threatened to tumble back into her nest of blankets a little ways from her.

Sakura crossed her arms and stared her directly in the eye, her voice dropping. "You've kept me up the entire night so don't you dare go back to sleep again."

"But I--"

"I don't care what you do," she interrupted, "you're just not going back to bed. Now get up." She made a sweeping motion with her hand. Ino saw the strained patience in her expression and knew it there was no use arguing.

Quietly, however, she dared to say, "I don't want to go to school." Much to her surprise, Haruno's eyes softened. Ino stared at her hands as they toyed with the soft quilt to avoid her gaze, waiting awkwardly for her reaction. She didn't say anything at first, but she heard the crinkling of Haruno's shorts as she stood up.

"You don't have to. I don't feel like going either. If you want you can come with me to the gym," Sakura said as she extended a hand towards the blonde. Hesitantly, she took it, and was quickly hauled to her feet. She couldn't recall ever hearing there was a gym in this house. Chances are, Ino thought, it's nestled reclusively in the basement. Having a bit of exercise is definitely not something she minded. The only problem was being stuck with Haruno for the rest of the day. There was no telling when she could turn on her and do something to prove her paranoia necessary. Nevertheless, it was better than facing the crowds and appeasing the masses at school.

"What's in here?" Ino wondered aloud as they passed by a partly opened door. They were in the basement after a small breakfast courtesy of Haruno. "You two pretty much left us to fend for ourselves after going in there last time."

"It's nothing nasty, if that's what you're thinking,"

"Temari mentioned it was a studio last time." Ino quickly dismissed her last comment for frivolity, not wanting to think about anything along those lines. The discomfort was still undoubtedly there. It was only a question of masking the fear and suppressing her thoughts. She hoped Haruno could understand that and make it easier for her.

Haruno looked over her shoulder. "You look a little pale," she stated as half-heartedly as possible. "And Temari's right. It's our studio. We had it converted last year. I say 'we' even though I technically own nothing in there because whatever we do inside, we never work solo…or at least not for individual purposes. I can show you later, we've been working on having a mural painted inside. Sort of. It's not exactly complete yet, but it's our lovechild so to speak--our big project."

Ino nodded without much enthusiasm.

The gym in the basement was a huge room equipped with many up-to-date machines. There were five doors: the entrance, the equipment room, the sauna room, the shower room, and an exit leading to the pool outside. There were mirrors stretching out along every wall, covering it from top to bottom. One corner of the room, roughly five hundred square metres, was empty. According to Sakura, it was used for dance, yoga, and sometimes mats would be taken out for sparring or fencing. A smaller section of the room was matted out with a punching bag hanging from the ceiling. The rest of the room was home to the many exercise machines. The equipment room was a big room, probably half the size of the gym, and stored equipment for every sport Ino could think of. The end of the room was devoted only to storing the different nets and poles. There were even fishing poles and hunting guns that, thankfully, looked seldom used.

"Who cleans all this?" Ino asked, checking to see if there was dust on one of the shelves. She ran a finger over the wood, then over a hockey puck to find that there was not a single speck of it.

"They hire a cleaning service to do it twice a week. Mondays and Fridays. They get paid by the hour, so in a house like this, it's a pretty well-paid job."

"What if they steal something?" Ino asked as she followed Sakura in grabbing a pair of boxing gloves.

"They're not stupid enough to. There are security cams everywhere, especially in the basement." she pointed to the corner where a camera was hidden. Ino suddenly perked up at the mention of security cameras. Haruno noticed this and lightly touched her shoulder. "There aren't any cameras in the bedrooms for privacy's sake. If there was I think you would notice. And that won't be enough to get him convicted. Trust me on that one."

Ino was quiet as she tried to recall his words. Then it suddenly hit her. "The king of Suna," she whispered.

Haruno, who was in the middle of putting on her gloves, froze and gaped at her. "How did you know?"

"He told me." She didn't inquire further. Instead, Haruno exited the equipment room. She started towards the punching bag and signalled for Ino to follow with a wave of her hand.

"Tell me, Ino," Haruno said, stepping onto the blue matting, "do you hate me?"

"What kind of question is that?" Ino frowned. "I think you should already know the answer to that."

"Then," she punched her gloves together several times, "have you ever wanted to hit me?"

"Every second of my life." Neither could tell whether her reply could be considered as a hyperbole or not.

Haruno laughed, quite differently from her usual smug chuckles. "Well here is your chance." She spread her arms in provocation and smirked as she awaited Ino's reaction.

The blonde raised a brow. Knowing her, it couldn't have been such an easy feat. If she wanted to let her release her anger, then wouldn't a normal person show her to the punching bag located right beside her? But if it's one thing that Ino learned from all of this, it was that Haruno Sakura was anything but normal. No, she was much too twisted. A masochist perhaps?

"Well? You may never get a second chance."

"I don't believe this," Ino said, voice filled to the brim with scepticism.

"What do you have to lose? I am the source of your misery Ino."

"And this is your way of making things right after ruining my life?"

"Hey I'm not totally evil. I do feel guil--" Out of nowhere, Ino threw a punch directed at her face. Reflexively, Haruno sidestepped it, earning a scowl from the other girl. She grinned and shrugged as innocently as possible.

"You said you'd let me hit you."

"I know, sorry. Its reflex I swear. You didn't give me time to prepare. "

Ino's lips pressed into a thin line and directed another punch, this time at her stomach. Haruno took a step backwards and avoided the contact, causing Ino to stumble forward, catching herself just in time before she collided with Sakura. Straightening herself up, her eyes narrowed. In frustration, she initiated a flurry of flailing attacks in different directions. Sakura, however, dodged every one of them with a single flip backwards.

"You," Ino panted, "are such a bitch, you know that?"

"I know, but it's fun to see how much you suck," she replied with a playful smile. "I'll have to admit you're sneaky, but it's obvious you have no experience in fighting."

"Why the fuck would I? I have half the student body willing to protect me at school." Ino took a deep breath to regain her composure.

"What about outside of school?"

"I can…protect myself."

"Oh really?"

"Fuck you."

"H

ow about I give you a crash course on self-defence instead?"

Ino shot her another suspicious glare. "Why?" she asked.

"If you're gonna release some of that anger, you might as well do it right," Haruno replied matter-of-factly. She took a step closer to the blonde, who, in turn, took a step back. "Because if you don't, you might hurt yourself."

Haruno brushed her cheek with her glove. "Hit me again," she challenged with a sly grin that made her all the more oddly attractive to Ino. The blonde flinched when she faked a quick jab at her face. Haruno bounced around her, her feet barely touching the floor in feather-light steps.

"Come on, piggy. Do it," she whispered, appearing suddenly in front of her again, closer than Ino remembered her being before. Ino bit her lip and took a step back, but Sakura didn't stop moving. "You know what'll happen if you don't do you? You're gonna take this from me again?" Her voice dropped even further.

Ino glowered at her, albeit much weaker than before. Not seconds later, she was already cornered. She turned her head to see her own mirroring, horrified expression. _What the hell am I doing? _Her mind, in its frenzied state, tried to weigh the options. It was Option A: get her ass kicked, or Option B: get violated again. Panicked, she swung her arm around. Haruno easily blocked it with her feline reflexes. Pushing Ino's attacking arm aside, she leaned forward and gently planted a kiss on her lips. She pulled away as fast as she had come, and stood back, looking satisfied with herself.

While Ino stood looking dazed, Sakura took the opportunity to take off her gloves.

Ino, after finally realizing what she had done, charged at her, right arm raised in mid-initiation of yet another attack. More violation. Toyed once again. Haruno met her fiery eyes just before she caught her glove with her hand. She finally got her into the mood, so simply too, that it almost hurt.

"See why you need this?" Sakura said, lowering her arm but keeping a tight hold on her glove. "You leave yourself wide open. Just in this one position I can initiate maybe twenty different combinations of attacks. I'm just telling you a random number or course, but I'm not lying when I say that I can break many, many bones in your body." She spun herself around so her back was right up against the Ino's chest and demonstrated by indicating every open spot that could be broken. "And that's just the front. Relax your arm a little bit so I don't hurt you." Ino nodded slightly. "Twist it around like that, I'll end up behind you. If I were a man, this could mean some very bad news. But from here, I can do all sorts of grabs and flips that could render you paralyzed, or have you stunned enough to do all sorts of things to you. And really, if you were to keep hitting like you did today, you'll probably paralyze yourself and save me the work. If you put all that energy into one punch, and I block it and add extra force, your arm will definitely feel it."

"Haruno, I don't need this," Ino mumbled, withdrawing her arm. "I don't have anything else to lose."

"No one is going to be around to protect you. Even I have to leave eventually."

"Oh you've done a fine job as my personal guardian until now," Ino said bitterly.

"What I'm trying to say," Haruno said, in turn trying to maintain control on her temper, "is that you have to learn to protect yourself. Wherever you go in the future, there is always a high possibility that there will be slimy pigs like Temari's almighty daddy. Most of them might just be doing harmless things like groping or touching, but you can never be too sure."

Ino opened her mouth to say something, but Haruno quickly cut her off. "If you still believe that you'll always have a boyfriend around to protect you, then fine. Co-dependence is an illness, just so you know. I can't force anything on you, and I'll have you know that I'm leaving soon. You can go home if you want, go back to the safety of your school. Though I'm sure Grandma won't mind you if you decide to stay here."

"Wait what? You just waltz into my life and kick everything out of order then suddenly leave?" Ino was unexpectedly angry.

"I already told you you're free of any obligations, so I'm not tied to you anymore either."

"That doesn't mean that you can--you're such a bitch," Ino cried, ripping off one glove and throwing it at her. Haruno didn't try to catch it, and let it collide with her shoulder, then silently picking it up.

"I thought you'd be happy," she said, narrowing her eyes. "You probably never have to see me again. Temari is leaving too, so you can tell Tenten the good news."

"I hate you."

"I know. So do you want to learn this or not? This can be the one good thing you get out of this stay even if it's so short."

Without warning, Ino charged at her again, her other glove pulled back behind her. Sakura saw it coming, but she didn't move. The blonde swung her arm wildly in front of her and struck a hard blow to the side of Haruno's face. She fell backwards and didn't even bother to jump back onto her feet. Pulling herself upwards into a sitting position, she caught the angry Ino off guard with a smile.

"What. Is. _Wrong_. With you?" Ino demanded, her volume even higher than before. "Why didn't you block it? You always block it!"

Haruno stared at her amusedly, thinking to herself how hysterical she had become. "I told you I'd let you hit me. That was a good one by the way, but it could definitely have been stopped."

"Then why the fuck didn't you?" she nearly screamed.

"Don't you feel better now? I admit I deserved it."

"No! I'm even more pissed off at you now."

"Really? But everything happened because of me."

Ino held her breath for a few moments. "As much as I hate you," she said matter-of-factly, "I don't like going around hitting people."

"Would you hit me if I was Mr. Royalty?"

"Hit you? I'd fucking kill you!"

Haruno couldn't help but laugh at that. "Really, I don't see much difference. Weren't you pretty much set on the fact that I caused the whole scenario? And don't forget that I also raped you on the day of the dance."

Ino gaped at her. It amazed her how easily she could say those things, especially admitting that she was once an assaulter. "I don't know. Stop confusing me!"

"Is that to say that…you enjoyed our little game?" Haruno said with a surprised raise of her brows as she stood up.

"N-no! What kind of maniac enjoys being raped?" She held up her hands in defence when Haruno took a step toward her again. She gently pushed away her hands and closed in on the gap. Ino took a step back and almost stumbled if Sakura hadn't caught her. Pulling her back up, Ino's face was only centimetres. Ino's heart was thumping with something that didn't feel at all like dread. But she didn't have time to explore the feeling when Sakura suddenly pulled away and took a step back.

"Just kidding," she said with a small smile and a shrug. "I'd like to apologize, actually, for everything I've done up until now. I did a lot of despicable things, which I don't particularly regret."

"But you just feel bad for what happened yesterday," Ino said, trying to suppress the embarrassed blush after what had just happened.

"Sort of. Not really. Like I said it wasn't my fault. But since I'm leaving, I might as well. I had a lot of fun, but I didn't really think something so severe would come out of this. If you're wondering, this is why I want to teach you a bit of self-defence. As a small reparation."

Ino didn't look convinced.

"I just don't want to leave things like this."

Ino wasn't sure whether her intentions were as innocent as they seemed, but they seemed sincere enough. It was obvious to her now that she did have some sort of effect on her. But she just couldn't understand what that girl filters through her mind. This sudden compassion…Ino wasn't sure she can swallow it fully and without suspicion. Finally, albeit with lingering reluctance, she gave in and allowed her to pay her 'reparation'. She was right, after all. There won't always be someone to protect her, and after this incident it would be best to reassuring herself with a few moves. Somehow, Sakura didn't seem like such a bad person. Ino still had her doubts, but the chances of her being involved in what happened yesterday didn't seem so big anymore.

X

Temari raced up the stairs, three steps at a time, and burst through the main entrance. It was just the beginning of second block. She had decided to forget about Feylinn and find Tenten as soon as possible to clear things up. She made a bee-line for the office at once. When she arrived, Shizune averted her eyes from the computer screen and looked up at her in surprise.

"I thought you--"

"No explanations!" Temari said hurriedly. When some of the staff turned to look at her curiously, she lowered her voice, "Which class Is Tenten in right now?"

Shizune blinked confusedly, fazed by such an unexpected request so suddenly. Temari, not wanting to waste even a single second, slam the counter with an open palm. "Now, please, Miss Shizune," she said as patiently as possible.

"R-right."

After about thirty seconds of waiting restlessly, Shizune said, "Physical Education with--" Temari didn't wait. She rushed out the doors as quickly as she had come in. The secretary exchanged a few confused glances with the other staff. Students didn't usually make for any good gossip, but many of the office staff knew who Temari was when she registered, and this was definitely scandalous.

X

The gymnasium was bustling with excitement, as it usually was when the advanced PE class took the floor. This class especially was full of spectators who would skip class just to watch. The reason was simple: students in this class were not only good many of them were among the most popular with the students.

"Lee! Pass the ball! And stop striking poses! No one is here to watch you!" the teacher, Gai, called from across the court. The boy frowned and reluctantly bounced the basketball towards Sasuke, who quickly caught it after avoiding another student. Naruto approached him, waving his arms in co-ordination with the raven-hair boy's movements. After a couple fakes, Sasuke took the easy way and leaned forward to shock him with a kiss on the lips. The female fans roared.

"You're not my check, Naruto," Sasuke chuckled, pushing him away playfully just before he passed the ball.

Gai rubbed his forehead, unsure if that could even be considered a foul or not. He knew that if he called it, there might be things thrown at him that would get his tracksuit dirty. It didn't help that he was so dangerously close to the bleachers. And he definitely did not want things dirtying his clothes.

Deidara rushed up to take the ball, but Kiba intercepted it and attempted a shot. It bounced off the rims and earned a dismayed cry from the audience, mixed in with a few cheers. It was obvious that most spectators weren't here for the game, and cheered for individual players instead of teams.

Temari stepped into the gymnasium through the main entrance, giving Gai a critical look when he motioned to the bleachers. A few people from the audience turned to look at Temari, but were absorbed back into the game after a brief moment. She was just in time to see Tenten take the ball and dribble towards the hoop, making a heroic jump for a slam dunk. The crowd cheered and watched excitedly to see who was being switched out for the next round. Temari made a dash for the court without thought once she saw Tenten getting ready for a jump ball.

She shoved Suigetsu out of the way and planted herself in front of Tenten. The entire gym was filled with chatter. Gai started towards Temari, but Shikamaru, who had been substituted, pulled him back with a wink.

Tenten, who was panting from the last game, looked up at her with confusion and surprise.

"Why did you leave?" Temari said, loud enough so only Tenten could hear. Tenten merely blinked at her, feigning further confusion. The whistle blew and the student referee threw up the ball. Temari reached it with ease. Tenten narrowed her eyes at her and ran after the ball, with the sandy-blonde trailing her persistently. Again and again, Temari asked the same question, but Tenten didn't say a word and went on playing as if she wasn't there.

Finally, Temari lost her temper. She grabbed her by the wrist and kept her in place when she tried to run. "Why did you leave?" she said as calmly as she could, keeping her voice down as much as her patience would let her. "You couldn't have been serious. You didn't even give me a fucking choice! I want to know why!"

The game was slowing down and the fans stopped cheering. After a long stretch of silence Tenten finally called a stop the game.

"Gai-sensei," she said, marching towards him with Temari behind her, "I don't know this person, but she's interfering with the game. I can't play with her following me and deflecting all the passes directed at me."

Temari could almost hear her heart shatter. Gai immediately kicked her out of the gym, and she didn't protest. Just as he had almost got her out of the door, she cried loud enough for the whole gym to hear, "Fine! If that's how you feel, then fine! I'm leaving next week and I can't stop you from forgetting me but--"

Gai shoved her out the door and was just about to close it on her. "Don't fucking interrupt me!" she yelled at him, kicking him in the shin precise enough to knock him down on one knee. She was breathing hard with adrenaline pulsing through her body. "I can't stop you from forgetting me," she continued, "but I just know this isn't how our story is supposed to end! There will never be someone else that feels this right for you. And I know there will never be another person for me."

The whole gym was silent when she left.

Temari got into her car and sighed. She sat and waited for more than ten minutes, hoping that she would run after her. She didn't expect her to, but it still hurt when she didn't. She had never felt so heartbroken in her life. It pained her so much she could barely breathe.

This whole idea was acted upon impulse. She thought she deserved an explanation, but she definitely hadn't anticipated on giving her little speech. At that moment, she just felt the need to make things right. Tenten was afraid and they both knew it. Before she left, Temari felt that she just had to say something sincere after giving her so many mixed signals. _You're such a fucking dumbass Temari, you just made it worse,_ she thought, sinking into her seat.

She pulled out of the parking lot and started towards the hotel where her dad stayed. Somehow, she'd have to let go of personal matters and focus on her personal mission. She just knew how that was going to end.

X

Ino was tired. She was so weighted by fatigue that she could no longer pick herself back up. For the past two hours they had spent going over the basics in fighting. Though it wasn't much, she now knew how to block a few hits and attack without leaving herself wide open. Now, despite lying in a crumpled heap on the floor, she was satisfied with herself. She laid spread eagle beside the glass wall, warily staring at Haruno, who was still working at the poor punching bag. It may have been her imagination or ignorance, but to her, Haruno seemed like she was putting an awful lot of unnecessary power into a simple exercise.

_With endurance like that, she and Temari must go on for days on end. No wonder they can only have quickies,_ Ino thought to herself, suddenly reminded of the day she went to the daycare with Paku. _Well, Ino. That was fucking random_. She would've shook her head if she could feel it through the throbbing, but she was too tired to do more than argue with herself in her head, and even that took a great deal of effort. Eventually, she blamed it on her current state and let the thought go.

"Ready to go again?" Haruno called over, peeking out from the red punching bag. Ino merely grunted in reply. "C'mon Ino, you're just getting started. You really don't work out much do you?"

"Muscle-y girls are scary."

"Hey, I work out and I'm not ripped."

It took a few moments before Ino gathered the energy to speak again. "Well you sure as hell aren't as soft as a girl should be. And I do admit you can be scary."

"Stop abusing stereotypes and get up," Haruno said, tapping her foot impatiently.

Suddenly, a not-so-familiar voice spoke from the other side of the room. "If she doesn't want to, then don't force her." The gentle female voice caused the two of them to look over at the doorway. Ino even managed to twist onto her stomach. The girl, who seemed like someone out of a storybook to Ino, drifted towards the two of them, her eyes set on Sakura. They acknowledged each other, leaving only Ino who was at a lost.

"Hello," Haruno greeted, surprisingly dispassionate.

"Sakura-san--if you don't mind me calling you that," she replied warmly. Haruno shrugged. "Ah, I see you are a fighter of sorts, would you care to spar with me?"

Haruno raised her brows in surprise and glanced at Ino who, feeling ignored, opted to stare at her own reflection in the mirror instead. She hesitated. "I see the doubt in your eyes," Feylinn giggled, "but I assure you that underestimating me would be a very grave mistake indeed.

After a moment for thought, Sakura glanced at Ino, who stared back through the reflection of the mirror, and nodded. "Wait here while I get you another pair of gloves."

"Oh, no need. We shall do this bare-handed. Boxing is not quite my style."

"Interesting," Haruno said, throwing her gloves into a corner. She steeled herself and surveyed her opponent. She definitely did not look strong, but her confidence told her otherwise. Ino recognized her familiar coldness right away in her features. Meeting her jade green eyes, Sakura's expression flickered. "Watch and learn," she mouthed.

As if on cue, both Feylinn and Sakura took their stance. Ino, feeling oddly intrigued, pulled herself into a sitting position to face them.

"You seem the Judo type," Haruno observed. "But you are wearing jeans so I suppose nothing really matters."

Feylinn merely laughed and charged forward with a tackle. Sakura turned to evade, but she caught her just in time to take the force of a backwards kick. Haruno hit the floor but didn't have time to be fazed when Feylinn prepared to hit her again. To dodge an incoming blow to her knee, Sakura spun around on her back, as if break-dancing, and got onto her feet just in time to receive another kick. She blocked it and, in a flurry, delivered a blow to the abdomen and a kick to the chest.

Feylinn stumbled backwards, but Haruno trailed after her and attempted an uppercut that was intercepted by an unforeseen grab. The brunette caught her arm and twisted it behind her in a tight lock, forcing Sakura onto one knee. "Kung Fu, Muay Thai, and even a little bit of that Capoeira goodness mixed in I see. You're quite a creative fighter."

"What can I say, I like trying new things," Sakura smirked despite her situation. "So you know a few Jujitsu tricks." Haruno twisted over and grabbed the back of her shirt, throwing her right over her shoulder. She landed on her front and, almost immediately, Sakura pounced forward and put her in the same inescapable hold she had invented that Ino had experienced that day in the countryside. It wasn't long before Feylinn resigned.

"You put up a good fight, but you forget that I had a free hand. You overestimate yourself too much. Jujitsu is a great form of art, but don't expect such basic techniques to work," Haruno said. She turned and made her way towards a small mini fridge just outside the equipment room and grabbed three bottles of water. She tossed one to Ino first, who stared at her, slack-jawed and wide-eyed, then one at Feylinn, who got into a sitting position to accept it.

"That was a very short fight," Feylinn remarked. "But I must admit that was refreshing to say the least."

"You made me work, I'll give you credit for that."

"Ah, well it was fun. And it did kill some time for me. Perhaps we shall do this again someday."

Haruno chuckled and lowered the bottle of water from her lips. "Maybe." By her tone, Ino deducted that she must've thought the other girl as childish and didn't really want to bother with her again. At that, she couldn't help the amused smile glazing over her features.

"That's right, Sakura-san, I wanted to ask you a question." Sakura, who had taken a seat next to Ino against the wall, merely looked at her expectantly.

"Well, uh," Feylinn continued, "I want to know more about the relationship between Temari and that servant-girl."

Ino glanced at Sakura questioningly. She ignored her and replied with a frown, "Temari doesn't have servants."

"No I distinctively remember that oriental girl."

"Oh, Tenten?" Ino's ears perked up at the sound of her friend's name. "She's not a servant, and I don't really know what their relationship is."

Feylinn went over and joined the two, taking a seat in front of them on the mat. "That's not true. The king said Temari had been pursuing her!" She pouted and tugged onto the hem of Haruno's shorts in demand for answers. Haruno cleared her throat and smoothed out her shorts, getting rid of her touch in the process.

"Tenten doesn't like her like that!" Ino blurted, her back rigidly leaving the wall in the process. The two gaped at her at first, saying nothing. The out of nowhere, Sakura burst into unrestrained laughter, which was definitely a new sound to the blonde.

"Wow, piggy, you must live under a fucking rock," she said after her laughter began to subside. Feylinn stared at her hard in anticipation, and Ino was anything but pleased. "If she didn't like her, she wouldn't even have been here! You're still as dense as ever."

Ino protested, "Well, maybe Temari brought her here the same way you did!"

"Same way I did? Don't you worry about that, Temari's doesn't have to take such desperately idiotic measures. She's got her way with girls, pheromones and skills that can attract anyone she wishes," Sakura said. She wasn't smiling anymore. As she spoke, she held Ino's gaze with all seriousness. "I know Temari, and I personally don't find it hard to believe its love. I don't have the same experiences with love that you do, but even I can see it. You must've noticed a long time ago. Is it that hard to accept it?"

Feylinn kept quiet as she listened.

Ino shook her head and got up to leave, "It can't happen. Tenten doesn't swing that way. And Temari will never be serious enough for someone like her. She'll just hurt her." At her last statement, Haruno glared at her. She said nothing, and jumped onto her feet. Grabbing her by the wrist, she ignored Feylinn as she pulled Ino out of the gym.

They marched right through the recreation room with Ino yelling at her and trying to writhe out of her grip the whole way. Sakura didn't say a word even as she pulled her into the studio, beyond a door shadowed by the darkness of the narrow corridor. Once inside, Sakura quickly reached backwards to lock the door. The sound of the slight _click_ of the lock filled Ino with horror. She stepped back and fell over an empty paint can. At the sight of Haruno walking towards her, she shuffled back until her back collided with the wall.

"Quit freaking out," Haruno said, her patience unravelling rapidly. "I told you I wasn't going to do anything to you anymore. Look behind you."

Hesitantly with obvious stiffness, Ino twisted her neck to observe the wall behind her. For the first time, she noticed the giant mural that stretched around the room. She looked over at Sakura with panic lingering in her eyes. She smiled back without joy. Ino glanced behind her again and noticed that she sat right at the foot of a wide tree trunk. Slowly, she got up. It was the cherry blossom tree. She ran her hand over the smooth walls where the bark was, almost expecting to feel the rough texture. Following it, she came upon a silhouetted figure standing alone, staring out into the space beside her.

"This is you," Ino breathed in amazement. "The tree, the shadow, and the dark ocean sky. But it looks so…forlorn. It's weird how it feel so real."

Haruno chuckled amusedly at her softened expression of suppressed despair. "This isn't what I'm showing you," she said, pointing to the area further down the wall. She followed her own finger to the end to the black outline of Temari and her flowers. The desert flower and the rose. The scene was different than the one Sakura remembered in her flashback. Back then, no one received the rose for it had only been a symbol of what Temari thought of her own gallantness.

That day they should've finished the rest of the room, but instead Temari had devoted her time to a new figure beside her own. The rose was painted over--a rather time-consuming task they had undergone. Temari felt it was much too corny. Instead she drew in a tiger lily--_I dare you to love me_--and a white lily--_purity--_blended into each other. Every petal was divided in half, one side for the tiger lily and the other for the white lily. Haruno explained that she was indecisive, and had finally concluded that her feelings couldn't be portrayed through a single flower.

"A lot of things happened between them that we don't know about, and it's probably best if you don't pry either. I don't know what their relationship has turned into, but I'm pretty sure that Temari likes, or loves, her more than she realizes herself."

Ino was too shocked for words. Her own ignorance astounded her as she touched her friend's outstretched arm. Tenten, unmistakable for the buns in her hair, held out one hand to receive the flower, but her face shied away from the taller figure. The posture, the bashful hesitance she tries so hard to hide, it portrayed her character perfectly. Temari must've been watching her for a long time.

"Why didn't she tell me anything?" Ino said finally with a sigh. "I noticed her change in behaviour towards her, but I didn't think it would progress so quickly."

"Do you honestly she can trust you with something like this?" Haruno said stoically.

"What the fuck is that--" Ino spun around to look at her, flared up by her own assumptions.

"Listen to me. Do you honestly think it was easy for her?" she challenged. Her expression didn't change but her voice had undoubtedly risen. "She's a sensitive person when it comes to love. Tenten, that is. It's obvious when you look at her relationship with Neji. She doesn't seem like someone who can trust easily, after being betrayed so many times. Am I right?" She didn't wait for Ino's reply. She stepped forward and slid her hand across the wall, where the group of girls stood behind Temari.

"Temari's character is despicable, really, when it comes to this. She is exactly the type of person Tenten cannot trust in love. Temari doesn't know the meaning of 'commitment'. She likes disposables because they're convenient for her. And she really fucked up in thinking a challenge like Tenten would be good for her." Sakura let out a short laugh as she pressed her hand against the silhouette of Temari's face. "I can't believe this happened to her. I've never even deemed it possible."

"I still don't understand how Tenten can let this happen to her and manage to keep everything under wraps from me," Ino said, furrowing her brows.

"I think you're just slow," Haruno said, taking her eyes off the mural to face the blonde. "Think of it this way. What would you do if you suddenly and irrevocably fell in love with me?"

Ino made a face. "I don't think so," she said coldly.

Sakura's expression wavered a bit, but went unnoticed. "Hypothetically speaking."

"I don't know, that's a pretty scary thought."

"Exactly."

"Well at least Temari's got the charm. You are a bit sadistic."

"Then you'll have to think about it in Tenten's shoes," she replied matter-of-factly. "How would you feel if you suddenly fell for Temari?"

"I don't know. I guess it must've been pretty rough for her. Though, it's kind of hard to sympathize after what happened to me, but she's still my best friend."

Haruno flashed another cheerless smile that ill-fitted her, but surprisingly struck compassion inside the blonde. "You probably haven't experienced the true extent of this quite yet, but love can make you do some crazy and, at times, desperate things. You may not like it, you may regret it, but it's excruciatingly impulsive."

Ino watched her eyes drop to the floor as she spoke. She didn't really understand it. To her, Sakura just seemed like another complicated person with a complicated past. But at that moment, it became blatantly obvious how much Sakura had softened up to her after what happened to her. The drop in hostility was so sudden and portrayed so well that Ino couldn't help but wonder. Was she just that good of an actress? Or was Haruno's--or her own--situation more complex than she thought?

She felt like she could trust her integrity. Yet at the same time, she was doubtful and was filled with paranoid suspicion. Maybe that's how Tenten felt. If that was the case, Ino could only pray that she didn't end up like her friend. It was unimaginable, but she could never be too cautious.

X

After second period, the rumours flew at the speed of sound. Countless times, Tenten found it very tempting to skip the rest of the day to avoid all the questions and odd looks from the entire school. But she stood her ground. This was scandalous enough. If she were to skip, then all suspicions would definitely be confirmed. Once she got home at the end of the day, however, she felt like crying.

To make matters worse, her mom had decided to accompany her boyfriend on his business trip, leaving her in the house all alone. She was so caught up in herself that she didn't even asked when Tenten came home three days late. This feeling of emptiness that Tenten was so used to before, felt frighteningly alien to her.

"Oh God, how things turn out like this?" Tenten mumbled into the emptiness of the kitchen as she was waiting for the water to boil. The day had drained much of her energy. Cooking was definitely something she did not trust herself with in her current state of mind. She hid her face in her hand as she tried to think.

_Three days,_ she thought,_ or was it a week? Either way it didn't take much for her, did it? I can't believe she would do something like this. She really…couldn't have been serious. God I hope I made the right decision. It's for our own good. This relationship has definitely thrown both our lives out of balance. _She shook her head and dumped the block of instant noodles into the pot. _We're much too different. There's…something about her that says there's something ominous in being with her. I can't really put a finger on it…oh what am I even thinking? Just forget everything. What's done is done._

Once her noodles were ready, she placed the bowl on a tray and took it upstairs to her room, where her computer was. She switched on her music, and was definitely glad to be out of the silence where she could hear nothing but her own thoughts. She set her playlist on shuffle and forced herself to listen with as much intensity as possible while she ate her dinner.

Twenty seconds into the first song, her ears twitched at the familiar sound of violins. She couldn't believe the timing of the song.

**Do you love me?**

She held her head in her hands. Her head hurt and this was the last song she wanted to listen to.

**Or am I just another trip**

**In this strange relationship **

_Make it stop,_ her mind cried. Try as she might, she couldn't drown out his voice.

**You push and pull me**

**And I'm about to lose my mind**

**Is this just a waste of time?**

She tried to clear her head, but she couldn't bring herself to stop the song.

**Keep acting like you own me**

**I keep running, watch me walking out that door**

**I hear you behind me**

Maybe deep in her subconscious, she wanted to hear this. She felt herself calming down now, and instead focused her attention on the words. With the song playing as a reminder, she wouldn't have to think so hard about how she felt on this.

**Gimme that strange relationship**

**Never felt pleasure and pain like this**

**Something so right but it feels so terribly wrong**

**I keep holding on **

The chorus struck her the most, and it probably wasn't because it's so catchy. To her it just felt strange to have someone speaking out to her the exact same emotions she felt at that moment.

**Gimme that strange relationship**

**One of us gotta let go of this**

**I keep pushing and you keep holding on**

**I'm already gone**

"Why did you have to do this to me, Temari? Of all people, why did it have to be me?" she said out loud. She didn't want to hear the last line. She felt hysterical, like she was about to burst any second and will never be able to gather up all her own pieces. _Why did you insist on bothering with me in the first place?_ She thought. She could feel a sob lodged in her throat, but managed to convince herself that she was overreacting--that things should not be this difficult.

**Do you love me?**

**We break up and back together**

**And I swore to myself never**

**Oh how you do me**

**You strip me of my honour**

Images of last night, or early that morning, ran through her head. She felt blood rush to her head so fast that she thought for sure she'd faint. She felt like she could almost relive the entire session. Temari's dirty blonde hair, her slender fingers, and white-hot touch. Her innate gentleness shone through clearer than ever. As much as she wanted it to happen without restraints, she knew it could never be. After all this, Temari must be too upset to find her again. And she's stubborn, so she'll have to forget her.

That really shouldn't be _this_ difficult for her to accept.

**And I don't ever think I'm gonna**

**Break free of these mind games**

**All I'm trying to do is modify my plan**

**'Cause I can't contain you**

She turned it off. The repeated chorus would drive her insane. She didn't want to think about her anymore. She knew she had to get some sleep. Neglecting all her homework, as well as her dinner, she crawled into bed despite it being only barely 6:15.

She had to stop overanalyzing things. She had to convince herself that this was the right choice. She had to stop all the noise she created in her mind. She had to move on. It couldn't have been more than a fling. For god's sakes it didn't even last that long. She cursed herself for her lack of frivolity and her traitor of a heart.

The thought of Temari was beginning to scare her. She couldn't quite understand why she didn't just accept everything from her. Blaming it on Feylinn was a childish excuse at most. She knew full well that she was falling much faster than she had anticipated. That was why she forced herself to pull out before she crash-landed. She could not convince herself to be more than a short-term muse because that was hard enough to believe as it was. Tenten thought back to the first day she found herself in Temari's house, how she had stared at herself in her bathroom then. Such contempt filled her own eyes then that she wanted nothing more than to curl up inside herself and just forget.

That perfect white knight, that softness and hidden compassion, that safety she felt. It hurt to lose it all, but she knew it would hurt more if she had reached a point of no return, if she fell in love with her. She wouldn't be able to bear it if she found out she was just a toy, a thing to ease her boredom.

Her words from today…she wished she could trust them. And she would do it in a heartbeat if she hadn't held herself back. _You'll find a man, Tenten,_ she thought sullenly,_ you'll get married and have children. A perfectly normal life. Being with her? I'll just starve._

Out of nowhere, her eyes welled up, but only a few droplets escaped down her cheek and into her mouth. She couldn't recall ever tasting tears so bitter.

For what must've been at least three hours, she laid awake with her mind running at full throttle until she finally got fed up and took a few pills. It was only the start of the week, and she dreaded every possible moment where she will be reminded of Temari again when she got back to school. Halfway through a long, desperate prayer to avoid her completely for the rest of her life, Tenten finally lost consciousness and fell into a deep sleep. She dreamt of nothing but the voice of Darren Hayes as he repeatedly reminded her that she was already too far gone.

X

**A/N: So this is it for this chapter. I apologize for taking so long…life suddenly got very busy. It's like this sudden restlessness and ambition xD But anyway, not much happened eh? But somehow it ended up just as long as the last chapter. Hopefully next chapter will be out faster, but I highly doubted. Third term is ending soon and homework is piling up, followed by exams (Provincials this year! DD8) **

**Also I drew a few pictures that…was really kind of random. I have a picture of Feylinn somewhere in my sketchbook but I'm too lazy to scan her in. Surprisingly enough, I actually designed her character before I put it into words. **

**Don't forget to replace the DOTs with actual periods. **

**Tenten:**

**i432DOTphotobucketDOTcom/albums/qq46/SirWhiskeySox/ten2bDOTjpg**

**Tayuya and Karin:**

**i432DOTphotobucketDOTcom/albums/qq46/SirWhiskeySox/karin_tayuyaDOTjpg**

**And a piece of fanart from a long while back that I forgot to share! It's by Shy-Rainbow 3**

**i432DOTphotobucketDOTcom/albums/qq46/SirWhiskeySox/karin_tayuyaDOTjpg**

**Oh, and I completely forgot about the polls so screw it all I guess, hahaha. **

**Edit: Sorry about the pictures...I didn't realize the links were messed up. Should be alive now, so check it ;D  
**


	17. Truth in Ball and Chain

**Hello, hello! I just want to say HAPPY TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO SCABL! Yep, it's been two full years! Today's the day! October 20th, as mentioned in my profile status. Seventeen chapters over the course of two years...not _too_ bad, eh? Just to meet this deadline before 12am, I actually temporarily abandoned my history essay to make some last minute edits. So reviews would be appreciated!**

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Chapter 17: Truth in Ball and Chain

Time passed quickly and uneventfully. The hourglass's sand was running dry for Temari and Kankurou. Tomorrow was the day. For the first time in years, they were going back to the home neither considered home.

Ino was settling into the household without dispute despite her condition. She was recovering from the trauma steadily, and, surprisingly enough, Haruno did a fine job of distracting her. Whether it was pissing the hell out of her or amusing her with the strangest tactics, it was easy to forget when she was around her. Gaara and Kankurou were also there to entertain her when they were home. Fortunately, there was always someone there when Haruno wasn't. She wouldn't be surprised if it was all planned out, but she appreciated it nonetheless. She hated being left alone to her thoughts where the monsters could reach her. Even at night, she made a home for herself in a corner of Haruno's room using a spare mattress and a ton of extra blankets. Just being in her own room made her uneasy, so all doors were kept closed with the exception of their weekly cleaning services.

There were times where she was alone, of course. The manor was always busy, what with Haruno locking herself in the studio every minute she can. And those were the times where she couldn't run from her demons, where there was nothing to blockading those memories. She'd occasionally break out in cold sweat with fear rappelling up her spine as she thought back to it. She was never left alone for long, but to her it always seemed like an eternity passed before she was saved by another's presence.

Haruno didn't seem to mind too much when Ino invaded a corner of her private space. In fact, she mostly pretended she wasn't there, which bothered Ino the most. Not because she ignored her, but because her nightly routines involved a lot of noise. Every night, long after Ino had settled in, she would spend a great deal of time clacking away at her laptop or scribbling in her sketchbook. Other times, oddly enough, she would exercise in practicing her sparring moves or generally work out. She kept a number of portable tools in her room for that--like handgrips that she always had on her desk for when she looked stumped on something or the small rack of dumbbells she brought up from downstairs. Exercise is great, but not at three in the morning on a school night. Whenever Ino tried to talk to her, she'd just ignore her.

Ino knew this because those there the visions that met her every time the nightmares became too much in the night.

She could be wrong, but Ino found reason to believe that she was distracting her, in case she had nightmares. It was a roundabout way of doing it, but It was either that or she really was a psycho insomniac.

Grandmother had a lot of stories to tell now that Ino knew about the family's identity. She was once a great ruler even though her husband had died early in an accident shortly after she married into the family. She ruled alone for over forty years; and the country loved her for it. Despite the pressure and the displeasure of many councillors in the government, she managed to pull through and earn their respects. After she gave birth to her son, she dreamt for a long time that she could be relieved of the stress and live a life of leisure after passing the throne. Unfortunately, her plans ran amok before she could realize it.

When he turned 25, she didn't have to wait. Once the commotion had died down after the prince's birthday, he took charge. Grandmother wouldn't pass the throne no matter what he did. She knew what kind of person he was becoming and since she couldn't have any more children, she had decided to pass the throne to her late husband's youngest brother. The prince knew of all her plans of course, and that's why he had to stop it. So the most efficient way he had used was a gun to her head.

He forced her into exile. The reporters were told that she would be in early retirement and that he would be next in line for the throne. They applauded it, of course. No one suspected anything. In fact, they believed that she deserved to retire early after all she's been through. No one questioned it.

Then his uncle conveniently disappeared. For months the people of Suna were restless in hopes of tracking him down, and finally they gave up and proclaimed him to be dead. Grandmother knew her son was behind it, but she kept her mouth shut in fear. Years later, she received word that her brother-in-law was dead. But not like she had presumed. In reality, he fled to a remote village in Otogakure after his family was threatened and attacked again and again. He took on a new identity and lived a quiet life. Unfortunately, he developed a drinking habit while in Otogakure, and fell victim to liver cancer. Grandmother didn't know whether his problems involved the crown, but nevertheless she wanted desperately to apologize. It was her fault. Even now, she felt that weight on her shoulder.

Grandmother was happy in Konoha of course, and was even more pleased when the siblings joined her. But who can relax with a tyrant like him on the loose? For years she felt as if she had destroyed Sunagakure with her own hands. There was nothing she could do. Ino could sense the sorrow about her as she spoke of this. She was only willing to speak of these stories now because she knew her son had become unstoppable. Now, more than ever, Ino wished the bastard would die for the pain he'd caused Grandmother. And now he was taking the siblings away from her, especially knowing that they were the light in her life. Every fibre in his body must be as malicious as his acts.

While Ino was reasonably happy with how her situation had turned out, Temari was anything but. Throughout the last few days, she visited the school a couple times. Only a fraction of those times had she had found Tenten, and was promptly ignored. Once she managed to corner her, but for a reason she knew she'd never comprehend, she screamed. A few boys nearby heard her and, after much struggling, kicked her out of the school. She could've taken them down, of course, only if they hadn't been cowardly enough to call reinforcements. With that number of people, Temari decided it would be best not to cause a scene. Finally, after much nagging from Feylinn, she dropped her last course and severed all ties from the school. As reluctant as she was, she had no other choice. The days she had left before departure to Suna were dwindling quickly.

Her situation with her father was no better. She thought she would be able to argue some logic into him and at least postpone his plans, but it was no use. He was fully set on the attack on Otogakure. Attack them before they attacked us was what he told her. She had even received a black eye for her efforts. The man wasn't particularly strong, but she had learned in the past that it was a bad idea to counter his attacks. Weak men only need to call on strong men to deal out the proper punishments.

Ino and Sakura both returned to school on the Tuesday after the incident, and life had seemed oddly normal. They attended their classes separately, ate their lunch separately, and participated in extracurricular activities separately. However, they usually, very discreetly, went back to Temari's house together after school.

At lunch time, Ino and Tenten ate with Shikamaru as usual as if nothing has happened, but neither discussed what transpired during their prolonged sleepover. Ino didn't want Tenten to know about the deeds of Temari's father, nor the truth of the family's identity. Temari had requested that everyone kept their mouth shut, and she respected that. Tenten, on the other hand, was clueless. She was holed up within herself and had gone back to being the extreme introvert she was before Temari had walked into her life. In fact, it was probably safe to say that she was even worse off. She ate no more than a single bite of her lunch, and even that she seemed to have difficulty downing. It was hard for her to focus and most the time she would stare into space.

But every time someone asked, she would become frustrated and confused, and then reply that she was fine. Even Shikamaru was starting to show concern. It pained Ino to see her friend in such a state. At least she had people to distract her from her own predicament, but no one around Tenten--including herself--knew what to say to her. Lunch was much quieter than she had remembered.

X

"Sakura, I need to talk to you," Temari said. She stood behind the sofa, a grim expression on her face as she watched her friend. The girl in question, who was trying out a new racing game with Kankurou and Ino, pressed pause upon hearing the seriousness in Temari's voice.

Sakura twisted around to face Temari. "What is it?"

"In private, if you will. You come too Kankurou." Kankurou glanced at Ino with mirrored confusion, and then looked at Temari.

"I can just leave," Ino said with the intent of being helpful. However, her voice betrayed a tinge of irritation that she herself couldn't decipher.

Temari shook her head. "Don't worry, I won't be long. Let's take it in the studio."

"Why so secretive?" Kankurou asked as he closed the art studio's door behind him."I find it strange that you'd have something to discuss involving both me and Sakura."

Sakura leaned against the bench where different paints were kept in neat order. She said nothing. A feeling deep inside her sparked an idea of what Temari wanted to say. Temari looked at Sakura thoughtfully as if it would help her put the right words in her mouth. But her emerald eyes only stared back blankly, waiting patiently.

"I think I mentioned this to you before, Sakura," began Temari. Her arms crossed and her eyes quickly fled to the mural on the walls.

"About taking me with you to Suna?"

Silence.

"Woah, hold up! Did I miss something here?" Kankurou exclaimed, gaping at his sister. "You do know what's going to happen in Sunagakure right, Temari? Or were you asleep when Father told us? Maybe you were just too distracted with Feylinn?"

"Shut up, Kankurou. You of all people should understand what a turn-off she's been in my life."

"I saw you looking at her…y'know?" he said with a grin as he cupped his own chest.

Temari coughed. "That's not funny. Can we get back on track here?" she growled, picking up Haruno's amused smile out of the corner of her eyes.

Kankurou's face hardened. "Yes, of course. Pardon my French but…are you out of your fucking mind?"

"You distinctly mentioned something about military training," Sakura cut in. "I assume there will be some sort of war? It really doesn't surprise me though."

"You weren't supposed to tell anyone, Temari," Kankurou murmured, clapping his hand on his forehead.

"I didn't…sort of."

"Either way," Sakura said, pushing herself into a standing position, "it'll be on international television soon, so there's no point in dodging around the subject. As for going to Suna…I thought about it after you mentioned that, regardless of your excuses. I...don't know if I should go with you."

"What?"

"I mean, Gaara. He's staying here isn't he? He needs to be protected. Plus the whole world knows where he is. You can guarantee that he'll be targeted."

"And so you want to protect him?"

"This is the best way."

"But that's even more dangerous!" Kankurou blurted out. He paused and sat down on the floor, rubbing his temples at the same time. "I don't understand this at all."

"Don't worry," Haruno said, flashing a rebellious smile, "I've got nothing to lose."

"I thought it'd be better for you if you came. Well, okay, better for me. You can keep me sane. Besides, you'd be a great asset to the force. I didn't plan on putting you into a dangerous position. Just whipping the cadets into shape, y'know?"

"You know, Temari," Sakura smiled, "if you're lonely, just say so. I would love to be able to beat up kids for fun, but this is warfare."

"I doubt Father would care enough to give his approval. Look at the shit jobs _we_ were stuck with," Kankurou cut in.

"I'd just…I'd hate to die out there on the battlefield alone."

"Temari!" her brother cried. "Don't say that! Knock on wood, man! You're out of your mind if you think you'll die so easily."

"War is war," she sighed in reply. Then, a burst of anger erupted from her core, "Fuck! Father…the bastard tyrant has ripped the Constitution to shreds. The whole country is fucking corrupt because of him."

"Some men create, and some men destroy," Haruno said matter-of-factly.

They fell into quiet when each was left to their own thoughts. Finally, Temari decided to try one last time. "It's probably safer if you stick with me."

"Don't worry about me. It'd be a pretty damn noble if I died for the sake of saving Gaara." Both Temari and Kankurou's expression turned dark and Haruno immediately dropped her grin. "I think you're more worried about leaving me here with Ino," she added quickly, "but she'll leave eventually so we'll only have to drive each other crazy for a little longer."

"You know that's the last thing I'd worry about," Temari said with a roll of her eyes.

"Why?" Haruno shrugged, "that's what I worry about."

Kankurou, having heard enough, left the room. Neither spoke after the resounding bang of the door. Their eyes wandered their years of work on the wall mural and all their masterpieces strewn across the room.

"Felt like just yesterday I found you outside the school," Temari said absently.

Haruno clenched her fists. "You won't die right?"

Temari's sad smile did nothing to ease out the knot in her heart. "Front lines. Just gotta keep from being shot down. I'll get a small team of two or three at the most. But that's what I'll do. Get thrown out into the big blue sky and shoot them as I see them."

There was another deep silence as Haruno tried to sink in the information. She shouldn't have expected anything else. It was obvious that she'd be out there fighting like a soulless cadet. Of course. His Majesty wouldn't have it any other way. He had worms for a heart after all.

Temari stepped forward and took her into her arms in their first warm embrace. "If I die, you've gotta keep fighting. Fight for love if nothing else matters. I screwed up with Tenten...I don't want you to go through the same. Both of us...we've learned a lot haven't we?" Temari chuckled dryly. "Pull back before it's too late. Just promise me never to go back to the way you used to live."

Stiffly, Haruno nodded.

Without another word, they left the studio, and headed opposite directions as Temari ascended the stairs.

X

Outside the studio, Ino's eyes widened. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the hallway was cramped and she just came back from getting a cup of water upstairs. What she heard, however, kept her loitering outside the door. When the room was silent, she scrambled back to the couch, spilling half the contents in her cup, and tried her best to keep calm. Sakura came out, surprisingly looking the least grim of the three. Both Kankurou and Temari sat down heavily on either side of her, but within moments of restarting their game, all their heavy weight settling into the atmosphere lifted. Just when Ino thought everything would be alright, both of them excused themselves after one round, leaving Ino alone with Sakura.

"So," Haruno said, throwing her controller onto the floor, "when do you plan on leaving?" The monitor went black and the silenced buzzed around her voice comfortably.

"You want me gone?"

"You don't want to leave?" She smirked.

Ino scowled, "Think what you want. You're really arrogant, did you know that?"

"I believe that was one of the first things you said to me when we first met."

"I don't remember that," Ino replied flatly. She stared across at the girl sitting on the floor a few feet away, watching for any signs of movement. "I'll go when Temari goes. So...tomorrow, I guess. Well maybe the day after."

"Sure." Not a single flicker of emotion. "I'll give you a lift."

"Are you...staying here?" Ino said. Her heart sunk and she suddenly felt angry. Worse, frustration caved in when she couldn't figure out why.

"Yeah." Haruno frowned. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"Why aren't you leaving? Won't Tsunade miss you?" She stared straight ahead at the black monitor. She felt Haruno's presence closer than she was before. The oddly warm presence brought her back to the conversation she heard. The more she heard the less she understood, and the less she understood the more she wanted answers.

But, as if sensing a question on her mind, Sakura interrupted her thoughts with one of her own. "When you leave, will you miss me?" Ino felt her eyes boring into her, challenging her, and chose to ignore her.

"You're such a self-loving asshole, you know that?" the blonde replied plainly.

"And you're still a slut," she retorted with a shrug. "And the world goes 'round and 'round."

Ino whipped around and glared at her. Haruno glared back playfully with a provocative grin playing on her lips. "Fuck you! You're still a two-faced bitch."

"Whore."

"Psycho."

Sakura stood up, staring down at the angry blonde. Then, just to further the irritation, she placed a hand on her shoulder and shoved her into the back-pane of the couch. "Skank," she said, cocking her head challengingly.

Stunned, it took a few moments for Ino to realize what just happened. When she did, she shot out of her seat and shove Haruno backwards with both hands. "What's _wrong_ with you!" Haruno shoved her back, just hard enough for her to stumble back onto the couch.

"I could ask you the same thing, princess." Another push. This time, Ino looked away and ignored her. It was best not to succumb to her hot-headed nature and sink down to Haruno's barbaric level. Watching her try so hard to insult her by acting passive, Haruno couldn't help but want to laugh. But she held it back. The result, what was meant to be a laugh, came out as a twisted snort. Ino turned her attention back to her, eyeing her curiously. "What was that?"

"Nothing." Sakura stared at Ino, her face flushed with anger. She didn't know why there was something in the pit of her stomach waiting to explode. Laughter? That didn't make sense.

"What?" Ino demanded, shooting up from her seat for the second time. "Are you mocking me?" She jabbed an accusing finger into her shoulder, causing Haruno to instinctively step backwards.

"I told you, it's nothing." Her eyes roamed the blonde. Her hair was slightly tussled from being shoved into the couch, and the pink in her cheeks deepened. She was fuming again. In Haruno's mind, she suddenly had the image of a cartoon character with smoke blowing out of her ears. With that, she suddenly burst into booming, unrestraint laughter.

"Argh!" Ino cried in frustration, turning away from her, "You're so immature!" It wasn't the first time she heard her laugh so carelessly. But this time, for once, she acted like she's seventeen years old, without a care in the world. She had tears leaking through her closed eyes as she grabbed her stomach. It was the first time in a long time that Ino noticed how attractive she could be. With a musical laughter like that, if only she lost the hostility in her voice and the dull fatigue in her eyes. But she didn't want to turn around and look at her. It felt too odd thinking someone like her was attractive. Again.

"Sorry, sorry, I don't know what came over me," she said between chuckles. "God, you make me laugh. I'm going to go hang around in the gym. You should probably go upstairs and help Grandmother with dinner."

Dumfounded at the suddenness of the situation, Ino could only watched her retreating back as she left behind a trail of giggles. Once Haruno disappeared behind the door, she shook her head and went upstairs as she was told. However, upon reaching the top step, she suddenly remembered that Grandmother wasn't even home. She went to a dinner party with her friends on the far side of town, and hadn't prepared anything for the rest of the household. At breakfast, Grandmother mentioned the lasagne Haruno made barely two weeks ago. Ino remembered it as well: it was her first act of kindness towards her. But had it really only been two weeks? Ino could already feel the wrinkles she would be getting after all of this.

Now she was curious. First Haruno bullies her for no reason (nothing new there), then she does a complete one-eighty. Her behaviour, Ino felt, was almost...hysterical. Plus, she still felt victimized. Was there something about her that caused Haruno's strange antics? Was there something that she should know? With her pride in mind, Ino descended the stairs again and made directly for the gym door.

"Hey!" she shouted as she kicked open the door. Her crystal blue eyes roamed the room. The only motion inside was the punching bag at the far corner of the room, surrounded by glass. It swayed from side to side, its mirrored clones swinging in opposing synchronization. There was no music, no sign of life...no sign of Haruno Sakura.

Ino wandered in, compulsively fixing her hair as she passed the mirrors. _See, you shouldn't let her get you down, that's how she gets off, remember? _Ino thought. Like a sudden splash of esteem in her face, Ino's previous anger was forgotten. Her temper cooled, and left only a residue of curiosity.

"Hey, Haruno!" she called. "Where are you?"

She listened to her own voice ricochet off the walls, but the silence prevailed. Annoyed, she stomped over to the backyard exit and stuck her head out into the fresh rain-swept air--nothing but the dimming sky and the rustling greens. She shivered and ducked back inside the gym. Standing by the door, she surveyed the room again.

Her eyes rested on the wide door at the end of the room. _Of course_, she thought. _But why the hell would she be in there?_ Cautiously, she strode over to the looming door and placed a hand on the handle, hesitating briefly. _If she is in there, then...me and Haruno in a dark crowded space? Sounds like..._ She shivered as she recalled the memory of the Halloween dance, just weeks ago. That memory immediately led to the more recent one in her room. Images flashed through her mind, animating itself stiffly as it drove a stake through her heart. There was a sudden anxiety clawing at the pit of her stomach, but she tried as hard as she could to shake it off. _Really, Ino. You could always just leave_. It sounded inviting in her mind, yet her body disagreed. Before she could realize what she did, the door had already been pushed an inch inwards. Then she heard it, faint tapping sounds in intervals of three—a cycling rhythm that was oddly mesmerizing.

She stepped inside, holding the door open. Even after her eyes adjusted, her vision could not pierce through the thick darkness, yet the tapping sound became more prominent. It came from the end of the room. _Light switch_, she thought and reached for the wall areas on the side of the door. After a bit of bumping into the shelves and knocking over things, she finally felt the plastic extrusion directly beside the doorframe.

"Good work," came a voice at the other end. Ino spun, and knocked over more equipment in the process, slimly avoiding a shot put collision with her toes. She didn't know why it surprised her so much to see Haruno sitting on an upside-down crate with tennis balls littered around her. She should've seen it coming, but at the same time, it seemed too illogical that she would be sitting in a pitch black storage room.

"Didn't I tell you to go upstairs?" she said, staring intently at the wall ahead. She picked up a tennis ball and threw it. It bounced once on the floor, shot off the wall, and once more on the floor before making a perfect dive into Haruno's hand again—the sounds that led Ino in here.

"Why are you in here?" Ino asked.

She took several steps toward her, and wasn't prepared for Haruno's reaction. "STAY THERE!" she almost screamed. Her head snapped around, armed with a deadly look in her eyes. Her hair was caught in the momentum of the action and hovered slightly about her head before falling over her eyes. Though it was just for a moment, there was something different about her. Ino was sure of it—she had an idea, but it couldn't be. It was absolutely ludicrous that it even occurred to her! _Must be my eyes then._

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE TAKE ANOTHER STEP!" As swiftly as the outburst occurred, she suddenly withdrew within herself and slumped over.

Ino held up her hands in defence and took a step back. "What is with you today? Are you on your period?" she said in spite of herself. This was probably not the best time to try and stroke her the wrong way.

"Leave. Please," Haruno whispered. She pointed to the door, but did not look up from the floor.

"Are you okay?" Ino couldn't help asking. Defying her orders, she approached her, and knelt down beside her. Tentatively, she tilted her head and inched forward, pushing the borders to get a better look at her.

"Fine. I need to think, that's all." Haruno brought a hand over her face, with her thumb on her temple and two fingers on her forehead, shielding herself from Ino. "Just leave, will you?"

"Did...something happen?"

"I don't need your false concern, thank you," Haruno muttered. "Leave. Before I have to hurt you."

"I just want to help," Ino said, standing up to maintain some distance. Haruno threw another tennis ball, this time more forceful than the last. Ino intercepted the ball and sat down cross-legged on the cold floor across from her.

"I...accidentally heard it," said Ino finally. Haruno's eyes instantly met hers in undisguised alarm. She saw it, the brilliant shade of green hidden under the shadows. They were marred by the ring of red around it. Ino wouldn't have been able to believe it if she hadn't seen it herself. Sakura, noticing the change in Ino's expression, ducked down and shielded herself with her hand again.

"Temari...she..."

"You don't have to say anything. But if..." Haruno took a deep breath, "if anything happens to her. I really don't know what to do."

"She's...more than a friend, isn't she?" Ino said slowly. She didn't know why she said that, but somehow she understood. "Not in the romantic way, but..."

"She's my saviour. More or less. She's going to fight on the front lines, whether she likes it or not. Worst case scenario, the bastard king takes my best friend too. My life...would be thrown into the dark again if that happened."

"Too?" Ino hesitated, unsure if she should thread further. Then, despite her conscience, she added, "Did he...take your..."

"He took you," Sakura said. She caught her shell-shocked expression from behind her fingers. Her hands quivered as she lowered them, and her eyes became brightly visible behind the curtain of hair. She leaned in. "It should've been obvious, Ino. All of this. But no, you just have to push it until I say it, don't you?"

Ino narrowed her eyes. "W-what are you talking about? I just wanted to make sure you're okay. Is it that hard to believe?"

"I know what you're doing. Coming here while I'm at my lowest. You're just waiting to strike, aren't you? Especially after I promised that I wouldn't do anything to hurt you anymore."

"I don't...understand."

"Why did you come here then?" Haruno snapped.

"I was curious! You were acting strange."

"Answer the question."

Ino fidgeted with her hair. "I was angry," she shifted her eyes to meet Haruno's steeled ones. "No, I was worried. Angry at first, but when you weren't in here, I knew something was wrong."

Haruno fell silent for a moment when neither of them knew what to say. "You're too nice sometimes. Guess there was a reason they elected you president of the student council," she said finally, taking in a breath as if to soak in her own words.

"You too. I never know what to think about you."

"I thought I was just plain arrogant," replied Haruno with a brief smirk.

"Well, you did take care of me after...that." Ino tried to smile, but the darkened expression on Haruno's face immediately made her recoil.

"It was my fault," she whispered. "You were right about that."

"You wouldn't have known."

"I brought you here."

Ino stood slowly, towering over her at the rate of the acid boiling inside of her, compelling her to say something she knew was untimely and wrong. "You would've done the same, wouldn't you? You did it once. Who's to say that you won't do it again?"

Haruno gaped at her, and then stood to meet her eyes. The fire riled up inside of her. She dropped the tennis ball in her hand, its echoes sending ominous shivers down Ino's spine. "If that's what I wanted to do," she said, biting onto each word, "I would've done it before that old man did. And I would never, _ever_," she jabbed a finger in front of her face to emphasize, "do what he did. Never would I hurt you like he did for my own petty pleasures."

"That sure didn't stop you at the dance!" Ino said, volume jumping higher than she intended.

"But I never hurt you!"

"That doesn't make it right!"

"No, but I had to come up with a way to get you here."

"Why? So you could do it again?" Ino glared at her, feeling the familiar anger within her again.

"Would you fucking stop clinging onto those what-ifs in your tiny little head?" Haruno's voice was rising now, as if Ino had finally struck the wrong chord. "I told you it was a stupid compulsive idea. I did it out of impulse! Just like you did in coming to find me. Underneath it all, it's probably to satisfy my own desires, bu--"

"Don't group me with you! I came to find you out of kindness! Not carnal desire! You raped me just because you felt like it all of a sudden!"Ino said accusingly. Her fist tightened. "You're no better than that fucking megalomaniac!" She threw a punch aimed directly at her face. Without even thinking, Haruno blocked it with her forearm.

"Wrong! Don't you _dare_ compare me to him! You have no _idea_ how it feels to have suppressed these feelings for so long that this eventually becomes the only thing you've ever known!"

"There had to be a better way to do it than handcuffing me and blackmailing me with a tape!" Ino snapped. She picked up a tennis ball and threw it at her. Haruno didn't even flinch when it bounced off her hip.

"Didn't I tell you?" Haruno replied, her voice barely above a whisper. Volume and emotion rocketed before Ino could even blink. "Didn't I tell you that there was never a fucking tape? Didn't I already explain that to you? Or do I have to do it again? Or do I have to break it down into simpler words so you'd understand? I knew it, I knew it! You come in here just to kick me around. Fuck! Why didn't you just fucking _leave_? You wanna know what's wrong with me right? I'll tell you what's fucking wrong with me!" she was screaming now, with one fist clenched around her hair in hysteria. Ino backed away from her.

With her breathing growing more and more erratic, her hands shakily grabbed Ino by the arm and pulled her a step towards her. "I...I fell in love with the wrong person, that's what made me so fucked up," Haruno said, her voice wavering. Her emerald eyes were wild, uncontrolled, but for the first time, Ino noticed the saltwater glisten on her cheeks.

"You ruined my life, Ino, did you know that?' she breathed. Haruno let go of her and pushed her away. "You consumed it entirely and the worst part was that you didn't even know. My life completely _revolved_ around you and you didn't even know. You didn't even know I _existed_. I confessed to you more than once and I bet you my _life _that you don't remember. You weren't even there when that tragedy happened. If you'd shown up then I wouldn't have to be on meds. I hated you for everything, but I hated myself more. I did...so much just to forget you. But I can't even pin the blame all on you. All these...torturous memories that I brought upon myself. I moulded myself into this fucked up piece of shit just because I can't control myself! This was the last chance I had to redeem my life. I had to depend on myself for once, not some shrink. I had to break away! Finally! I was going to take the reins and either make or break. I...haven't thought of how, but I had to take this first step. I had to let you know how bad it was for me. But, you know what?" she smiled sadly to herself, "Nothing ever goes according to plan. I hope you're happy now. If anything happens to Temari, I'm back to square one: better off dead."

Leaving Ino dumbstruck, she stormed out of the room. She wanted to follow, but her legs were heavy. She stared straight ahead where Haruno had stood moments before. Nothing was sinking into her mind—it was all too surreal. It had to be a well-rehearsed play. It was just too...ridiculous! But deep inside, Ino could see that no one could've put that much emotion on a dumb prank. Yet, even that part of her couldn't grasp the whole idea.

Ino heard the grinding mechanisms of the garage door open, and the revving of Haruno's motorcycle that followed. She sped away. Ino pictured the trail of white smoke that fled with the wind, leaving Sakura's heart at her feet.

X

The sky was darkening sooner than Tenten expected. She gazed out the kitchen window without a coherent thought on her mind as she waited for her cup noodles. Home alone again, three minutes was a long wait. She still couldn't adjust to the mundane life she led before Temari came in. Seventeen years of her life spent in this house, she thought she'd be used to it by now. The boredom and the emptiness that came with this big house was just something she lived with before. She never complained then, and truthfully she didn't see anything wrong with being alone.

She trudged up the stairs to her room with the Styrofoam cup in one hand, a pair of chopsticks balancing on top, and a mug of warm tea in the other. There was an essay waiting for her in her room. She remembered—she saved it because she knew she'd have nothing else to do even though she'd already mapped out the assignment in her head. A night without anything to do would drive her crazy.

She powered up her computer and waited. When everything loaded up, a bouncing icon came from her taskbar. Warily, she clicked it.

_You have 1 new message._

_That's new_, she thought to herself. She took a bite of her noodles and opened her message.

_To: Tenten  
From: Ino .com _

_Tenten, I don't know if I should be telling you this, but I think you have the right to know. I feel obliged to make things right for one of us. A lot has happened today and it's all really...overwhelming. You don't have much time. They're leaving tomorrow morning. Temari and Kankurou...there's a lot you don't know. The important thing right now is that you should see her one last time, before you regret it for the rest of your life. She may never come back. She may not even survive. Hurry. Ino._

There was a silent crash in Tenten's room. Sound tuned out of her ears as the mug she had in her hand shattered onto the hardwood floor. She bolted out of her chair, sending it shooting across the room until it collided into a pile of clothes on the floor with enough force to fall backwards. Hands grasping at anything she set her eyes upon, she began a frantic search of her room for her cell phone, faintly remembering it being in a pair of jeans or another.

Finally, her fingers fumbled the flip screen open and pressed Ino's speed-dial. She waited.

"Hello?" Ino's voice transmitted through in a harsh whisper.

"Are you fucking shitting me?" Tenten said as calmly as she could. "You've got some pretty twisted humour there."

"Are you talking about..." her voice dropped lower, "the email?"

"No, Ino, dammit! I'm talking about your obsession with kicking puppies."

"But I d—" Ino replied absently. It had been a long time since hearing her friend get riled up like that. Tenten had always been her cool-headed counterpart; this type of behaviour left her at a loss. She was beginning to doubt Haruno's observations less and less.

"It's not funny, Ino. Seriously. And _why_ are you whispering?"

"Uh, insecurities. This is sensitive information you know. Just in case anyone one was listening in on us. Anyway, why would I joke about something like that?"

"Y'know what?" Tenten said, "Let's go for sushi. Right now. I'll get my mom's junk rover and come get you."

"No, wait! I just ate!"

"Me too but fuck it, I want some answers."

Ino sighed in resignation. "The place nearby right? I'll walk down there myself."

"Alright."

X

Tenten shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. She had asked for a private room in the restaurant, but as fate coincides, she ended up in the same room that changed her life. The same room that brought her to Temari the day she fell for her charms. As she stared at the familiar bamboo wallpaper and wooden frames, she couldn't help but wonder how she'd managed to go through what she did in the span of less than two months. She thought back to the timeline of events that took place.

First, the encounter. Punched in the face by a random girl then kissed hard on the mouth by her friend. What a way to wake up her morning that was. She couldn't help but chuckle at the memory, how scared she was then. Now that she thought about it, she preferred Temari's kiss to Haruno's. Maybe just because she was so rough that day. Then there was the day she was targeted by Temari's rabid fan club and was forced to play damsel in distress when Temari the big white knight came to her rescue. After that, it was the dance. The conversation they had in the closet was one Tenten will not soon forget.

Of course, she couldn't forget the time she visited Neji in the hospital. Neji...the human statue that stripped away her purpose in life for the longest time. How dull he was, and how dense she was to love him so much. Maybe she never loved him after all. His efforts for her, his way of showing this alleged love he had for her, paled horribly in comparison to Temari's. Everything he was, Temari was ten times more—complexity included.

Yet...this pain she left behind burned much more than his. She had a goal in mind when she stepped into her life, and Tenten knew that was all she could ever be--a temporary checkpoint. Why did her luck in love have to suffer all the time? Not once did she have a satisfying ending. Not once did she have happy memories to hold onto that weren't overshadowed by nightmare giants.

Has she always been so bitter? She remembered that day in Temari's house; the first day she really looked at herself in the mirror. That reflection left a troubled revelation. How could she have been so dumb? Why did she spend so much time putting up that dispassionate front for Temari? She should've realized it ages ago that people like Temari had the world at their doorstep—she could have anyone she want. Playing hard-to-get was just for the sake of drama wasn't it?

"Excuse me," said a timid voice at the sliding door. Tenten made a perfect landing onto reality and looked up to see the same waitress who served her the first time she came. She smiled at her in recognition. Tenten smiled back.

"Need more time?" she asked.

Tenten replied, "I have a friend coming."

"Same 'friend' as last time?" the waitress said with a bold wink. Tenten laughed without humour and shook her head. Perhaps her sombre expression gave her away unknowingly, because the waitress dropped her grin immediately and apologized. Tenten held up a hand and stopped her, and quickly asked for sunomono (1) to start with, just for the sake of getting rid of her. She almost placed an order of edamame (2), but stopped herself. Déjà vu wouldn't be a pleasant journey. Not here, not now.

Fortunately, Ino rushed in not moments after the waitress left.

"Sorry, did you wait long?" she asked. Seating herself across from Tenten.

Tenten shook her head. "I want explanations," she said. Cutting right to the chase, her voice was firm and demanding.

"I don't know if it's in my right to tell—"

"You said I had the right to know."

"Well yeah, but—"

"Tell me then!" Tenten's voice did not rise in volume, only intensity. Ino shuffled awkwardly under her gaze. _Maybe it was a bad idea in the first place_, she thought.

"Tomorrow," Ino began, accompanied by a heavy intake of breath, "Temari's leaving. She's going with Kankurou...back to Suna."

"I figured that much," Tenten grumbled. "I want to know why you said that she may not come back."

"She and Kankurou are going back to fight. A war. I don't know how severe it might be, but that's all I heard today. In other words, she might die."

"So she's joining the army?"

"Technically she was already in the army," Ino said. As soon as the words left her mouth, her fingers flew, as if trying to keep any more unnecessary words from escaping. She stared at her friend, wide-eyed, and hoped against all hope that she hadn't been listening.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tenten asked, much to Ino's dismay. Her body stiffened.

Then, just as Ino was about to open her mouth, the door slid open. The waitress appeared partially hidden by the wall, by intention it seemed to Tenten. Sensing the tense atmosphere in the enclosed space, she placed a cup of tea in front of Ino and excused herself. Ino grabbed her before she could leave, her eyes widening with fear, only to take down a few simple sushi orders.

"Don't think you can dodge the subject so easily," Tenten said. Her fingers knitted together nervously on the tabletop despite the fierce glint in her eyes.

"I wasn't going to," Ino replied. "I meant she's been in the army since she was very young. It's part of her duties to her country as princess."

Tenten was skeptical, and did not react. Her fingers unknotted and knotted again repeatedly. "Seriously?" she said blandly.

"What? You nag me for the truth then you don't believe me," Ino huffed.

Tenten shrugged. "Just sounds like some elaborate lie. Some sort of master plan. Seriously, what part of Temari looks like royalty?"

"Uh, wake up, Tenten! Big money, fancy architecture, family crest, and good looks?"

"So she's some fancy aristocrat, there's a difference you know. And I don't see how good looks have to do with anything."

"Tenten, listen, whether you believe me or not," Ino said warily, "Gaara is the crown prince of Sunagakure, next in line for the damn throne. Her...dad...is a disgusting tyrant. He came to announce his decision to start war, and didn't stay because he attracted too much attention. Feylinn is her cousin, sent here to make sure Temari abides by his orders. She's forced to go home tomorrow and fight that goddamn war!"

"Oh, and let me guess, Haruno Sakura is her royal bodyguard and personal Playboy bunny right?" Tenten's voice was thick with sarcasm. She was suppressing all her thoughts and emotions. She came because she just wanted to know. Curiosity. That was all there was to it. Nothing else mattered.

Ino allowed the silence to linger in the air. Tenten had more to give than a fragile facade; her furrowed brows and awkward seating position made it clear.

Finally, there was a sigh. "I can't, Ino. I just...can't. She probably won't want to see me anyway. Not after what I did."

"You don't know that," Ino said, taking a calm sip of her tea. "I don't know that. What've you got to lose?"

"I just don't want her to hate me any more than she already does."

"And how do you know she hates you?"

Tenten buried her head in her folded arms on the table. "You don't know what I did."

"I'm sure it's not that bad, Tenten," Ino soothed, placing a warm hand on her elbow. "Whatever happened, this is your last shot. She might"--she paused--"never come back. It hurts to see you like this, you know that? You're even worse off than before. I know you love her, so it's okay. If she really does hate you, which I doubt, then at least it'd be easier for you to move on."

Tenten looked up. She cocked her head, scrutinizing her friend carefully. "You've changed," she said.

"So have you. I think if you told me last month that you were in love with someone like Temari, I'd stick my head in a bucket of ice water to make sure I wasn't dreaming it all up."

"You wouldn't," Tenten laughed, "that'd ruin your hair."

"That's true," Ino grinned, "but I'd still kick you halfway around the world for being an idiot."

Another sigh escaped Tenten's lips. "I am an idiot, aren't I?" she whispered more to herself.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"I know. But...oh, I don't know! I'm so...messed up! I have to talk to her."

"Do it."

"Now?"

"Let's go," Ino said, grabbing her purse excitedly. Tenten rolled her eyes, yet she couldn't deny the burst of energy she felt at the thought of confronting the Sunagakure princess.

* * *

1 Sunomono: I love this stuff. Simply put, I'd describe it as rice noodle in vinegar with cold cucumber on top. It's usually eaten before everything else (correct me if I'm wrong but that's how I roll). If you're not familiar with it, I say Google is your friend.

2 Edamame: As mentioned before, beans. I don't know what kind of beans, though. At least not in English, haha. In Cantonese, we call them 'fur beans'. How you eat it is basically taking the pod in your hands and popping the peas into your mouth. It's a really addictive snack. And just for the sake of spreading my love of cute things, if you like beans, check out Mameshiba on YouTube. So adorable! Guaranteed to change your mame eating experience!

A/N: I apologize for the short length for this chapter. Recently my life has been all about deadlines. School is like that I guess, but it's never seemed so overwhelming in previous years. I'm totally looking forward to university work in two years now, haha! Nonetheless, 24 hours is not enough in a day and 7 days is not enough in a week and 30 days is not enough in a month! Everything needs more time!

**That's why, I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be out. Just when I've broken out of filler mode too! As usual, however, status updates will be on my profile so drop in and check whenever you're bored.**

**Also, as a bonus feature for this chapter: some shameless self-advertising!**

**If you like SCABL, which I assume you do since you've stuck with me for seventeen chapters already, I'd appreciate it greatly if you drop by my newest baby, _The White Swan and the Black Swan_. It's also SakuIno, though it's not much like SCABL at all...**

Here is the summary: Sakura, a workaholic cafe owner, stumbles upon a woman in need one fateful night. She's determined to help, but before long, it's not just the woman unknowingly sneaking into her life, but her two very amusing young children as well.

Yes there are children, but they really are pretty cute if I say so myself.


	18. Bleeding Heart

It was hours later did Ino find herself confused. For the first time, she noticed the monstrosity in the massive house. It was her temporary home, and soon she would return. She sat in Sakura's room in darkness, on her bed, her head bowed in thought. There was nothing her but silence piercing her eardrums, yet her mind was overflowing with useless noise. Noise that pulled her in all different directions. She sat on Sakura's bed, hand unconsciously touching her pillow, wondering where she could be. She tried to recall her words with all her strength. No matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't fall into any patterns of sense at all. She couldn't see the logic in any of this mess—there was a deep enigma waiting to be dug out, waiting to save a life. But she couldn't see it. Her brain worked furiously for indefinite time.

She was frustrated. Angry. Scared to death. And she knew it deep in her heart that no matter how far she ran with these thoughts, she would never understand Sakura. She'd never understand the rationality behind any of her rationales. Why she did what she did, why she does what she does, why her of all people. She couldn't even fathom this "love" she confessed to her. There had to be a loophole in all this madness.

She sighed. In a number of hours, she would pack up and go home as promised. Things would be left the way it is. She would return to her old life. The "norm" that sounded almost ludicrous now. She could no longer picture what that would be like. Once she gets back home...

There will be demons. Black residue that will plague her for years to come. She knew. These demons will accumulate, as they are now, multiplying tenfold. Starting with that disgusting man. Yet it frightened her even more to now know that she wouldn't be the only one with the stake in her heart.

X

The world was spinning backwards, a dull grey blur. She felt submerged in a never-ending concrete tunnel. At the same time, she felt like she was drowning every time she took a puff of air into her lungs. Sometime after she left the mansion, the rain came down like a freezing shower on full blast. Her escape was abrupt, forcing her to endure the ice against her skin in a T-shirt and sweatpants. Nothing made a difference to her anyway...especially not now. After all these years, she never thought she'd have to come back.

Inside the archway of a massive tree trunk, Haruno withdrew her key from the ignition and dismounted. Her destination was still a little ways away, but she always walked. It was her sacred place, and she felt it shouldn't be touched by foreign soil. She breathed in the fresh forest air and stared up at the thick foliage above. The sky was speckled within the shadows, but the rain managed to seep in ever so slightly. The sound of her running footsteps were deafening to her ears as they pounded the forest floor.

Finally, with her breath coming short and quick, she broke through the maze of trees and into the glade. The rain was ruthless, and casted great shadows across the field, but she saw it. Years ago, this was the one sanctuary she allowed herself. Her heartbeat slowed as she waded through the tall lush grass towards the other end. After all this time, she couldn't believe it was still here. But there it was, right before her eyes, the garden of flowers she planted over time. The garden that offered her the serenity she needed.

She knelt down and softly held a rose petal. This was the only rose bush in the glade, her marker. Not only that, it was special. The pigment of this bush was abnormal. Artificial. The flowers, blooming as brilliantly as ever, were blue, a soft to hard gradient, like skies to sapphires. Hit by a wave of nostalgia, a single word wormed its way into her thoughts.

_Hinata. _

How was she? Sakura wondered. The shy, petite girl had all but slipped her mind these past few days. The last time she'd seen her...was her disaster with Ino. She shook her head. That was the first time her facade crossed the line. Off to the side were a patch of cleomes, spider flowers. Rose queen in shade. They were Hanabi's favourite flowers, she remembered. Hinata loved her little sister, and reminded her of the fact every second she could. Again, she shook her head. These brought on the same memories.

Her garden wasn't much of a garden anymore, as it soon became obvious. Most of it consisted of Queen Anne's lace, which overpopulated enough to take over the rest. Her favourite part of the garden was a row of western bleeding hearts further into the wood. She recognized the toxic leaves, and felt relieved to know they still stood tall like a rank of soldiers. They weren't due to bloom until spring, and, keeping the fact in mind, she made a mental note to check back then. Staring across, the expansive stretch of white reached further than she remembered. Haruno let herself fall onto her back to be engulfed by the little flowers. The rain pelted her face and, for the first time in a long time, she was at peace again.

The minute her eyes closed, her thoughts stirred up again. She pictured Ino's face, just before she ran away. Her wide blue eyes, mixed in with fear and confusion, which wanted so much to believe it wasn't true. Her lips parted, unsure what to say. Her frozen limbs, unsure what to do. Sakura expected worse. _Finally_, she thought, her eyes slowly opening to watch the rain come down on her. _I'll be able to move on now. I've got her attention. I've let her know. What now? Temari's leaving me without the answer. Maybe..._ she breathed deeply..._I should just catch pneumonia out here and die while nobody cares. _

When she closed her eyes again, her memories played back like a film.

She was eleven years old again, standing outside of Tsunade's house the day the slivers of her shattered world were gone forever.

"_Sakura_," _a voice whispered above her ear, "come, I'll show you your new room." Sakura's head turned like machine, her eyes wide. She gripped the handle of her suitcase hard, still unable to process the news. _

"_Where's Mommy and Daddy?" she asked. The person who spoke earlier threw her hands up in exasperation. She had very long blonde hair, and wore an uncomfortable looking suit. Sakura decided that she must be a very important person after all. She always thought she was loud and mean, but she was Daddy's friend. Mommy and Daddy were both teachers, so Tsunade must be a teacher too. They didn't have any other friends that Sakura knew of that weren't teachers. _

"_They moved on to a better place," Tsunade replied bluntly. "You asked me ten minutes ago, remember?" _

"_No, they wouldn't have left without me," Sakura said, "I'm not a baby. Just tell me the truth."_

"_If you know it, then don't ask me anymore."_

_Sakura didn't waver. "Just because I'm not an adult doesn't mean I can't know. I want to know what happened."_

_Tsunade saw her own reflection burning in her green eyes. She knew she had to find out eventually. It wasn't a big mystery, but what if she can't handle the truth? Yet something inside her told her it wouldn't be right to censor the eleven-year-old from a truth she deserved to know. "Car accident," she said quickly, hoping to god the child would miss the vital words, "on their way to work. Someone sped a red light and caught them at the intersection."_

_Sakura said nothing. Her eyes immediately cast downwards at her new sneakers. If she was surprise, she didn't show it. The only emotion visible on her round face was a subtle grief. _

"_Will I be able to see them one more time?" Sakura asked in a tiny voice. "I did all my chores like they asked me to...you'll let me see them right?" She shifted her attention to Tsunade. A silent trail of tears sparkled under the afternoon sun for the first time that day. _

_Unable to find the words good enough to face this child, Tsunade nodded and prayed she would be able to provide something for Sakura. Something wonderful...she deserved nothing less. _

_X_

_That year, her last year of elementary school, was a blur. The same school she'd attended before her parents' death became like a prison for her. Her friends left her and her world became devoid of laughter. She walked through the year like a zombie. She picked up all her lessons on automatic, spending all her days pondering instead. Living with Tsunade had done nothing to warm her heart. Her guardian was a busy woman, and would never be accustomed to having to mother a child. Somehow, at such a young age, Sakura understood that. Unknown to everyone around her, she spent some nights crying softly in her room, huddled under her blankets in the thick darkness. They never had to know, she decided, because their sympathy hurt her more. _

_She remembered the first few weeks of her parents' news. Strange hands and alien faces inspected her like a new specimen, petting her and squeezing her in their arms with their cooing words. The more they touched her, the more it became apparent to Sakura that she was alone. The more they looked at her with those pitying eyes the more lost she felt. She hated it. _

_Middle school. She felt like a sore thumb in her class, reading a novel in the back corner of the room. Everywhere she looked, students were in groups of at least two. Most of them, she knew, had attended elementary school together. Sakura didn't know anyone. Tsunade had to relocate the year after she finished elementary school. Everything was new to her, which did nothing but add to her desolation. There was a small part that didn't mind, but most of her wanted to be a kid like everyone else. Hang out, watch movies, talk about boys, isn't that what twelve-year-olds do? _

_One day change finally came. _

"_H-hi!" _

_Sakura turned slowly when a nearby presence made it clear that the greeting was meant for her. She was a small girl, smaller than her, and very pale. Her cheeks were flushed, as if it had taken every fibre of her body to work up the courage to say hello. Sakura nodded in acknowledgement, sure that would be enough to scare her away. Yet, despite her fragile appearance, she persisted. _

"_Y-your new...aren't you? What's your n-name?" _

"_Sakura," she replied. Sakura waited. She knew this girl won't stay much longer._

"_Hinata!" someone called from across the classroom. Sakura looked up to see a bubbly blonde waving a magazine in their direction. She was surrounded by a circle of the prettiest girls in the class. But one look around the room and it became apparent to Sakura that she was the prettiest of them all. Blonde hair, blue eyes, she was every boy's dream and every girl's envy. So the story goes. "C'mon, you have to see the new dresses this month before class starts! Bring your new friend!" She was grinning from ear to ear, unpretentious and carefree. _

"_W-would you like to join us?" Hinata offered politely. Sakura shook her head. Hinata smiled and left, just as Sakura expected her to. _

_Sakura stared at the girl's retreating back blankly and slowly turned back to her book. She was completely oblivious to the curious, probing eyes of another blue-eyed blonde two seats away from her. _

_The bell rang and the students scrambled to find the perfect seats before the teacher marked down a seating chart. Beside her, the curious blue-eyed blonde kicked away a nervous boy and grabbed the seat beside Sakura. She didn't even look up. _

"_Hi, I'm Naruto! And you are _very_ fascinating!" The blue-eyed blonde said excitedly. Sakura stared at him, wondering who taught him such a fancy word, and ignored him. "Don't you wanna know why?" he pushed. Sakura shook her head. She had a feeling that he would tell her anyway. _

"_You! You rejected an invitation from Yamanaka Ino!"_

"_So?" _

_Naruto grabbed both shoulders and gazed into her eyes with a fiery confidence. "_So_ you're probably _the _coolest girl I've _ever_ met!"_

"_Great," Sakura muttered. Fortunately for her, the teacher came in and began roll call without delay. _

_X_

"_Hey, it's Sakura!" It was Naruto, elbowing his way into the seat beside her with a lunch tray in both hands. "Whatchu doin' sitting alone for?"_

"_It's none of your business," Sakura said, glaring at him. "Please leave me alone."_

"_Oh, don't be so cold! Hey, hey do you want to know a secret?" _

"_No."_

"_C'mon! I haven't told anyone else yet!"_

_Sakura shuffled away from him. "Then why would you tell me."_

"_Because I know you won't care," Naruto grinned brightly. "You won't spread it around. And I think you'd understand the most."_

"_I could."_

"_But you won't." Sakura could tell from his tone that the decision was final. He moved in close to her and cupped a hand over her ear. With a smile on his face, he drawled, "I like someone." He dropped his hands and stared at her, maintaining his distance to watch for her reaction. _

_Sakura glared again. "That's the big secret you can't tell anyone? Are you purposely wasting my time?"_

"_No!" Naruto looked around then leaned in again. Through gritted teeth, he said, "I can't tell anyone because I'll lose all my friends if they knew."_

"_What, is it Yamanaka Ino?" Sakura rolled her eyes._

"_I wish," he said, his face stiff with abrupt seriousness. Then, a sudden burst of colours diffused into his face. "It's...U...Uchiha."_

"_Who's that?" Sakura asked without interest. _

"_H-he's the one who sits beside me! Don't you know any of our classmates?" _

_Sakura became silent. Finally remembering her lunch, she took a bite. She chewed slowly, processing the taste. _

"_Am I weird?" Naruto said, letting out a breath. He withdrew back to his previous spot at the table and maintained that distance. His head fell. "I really didn't know who else to talk to, y'know?" Sakura nodded. Then she shrugged. _

"_It's not my business," she said. "Doesn't make a difference what I think of you, does it? Good luck."_

"_Well, what about you? Do you have anyone on your mind?" _

"_No." She stood, picked up her tray, and walked away. The blonde boy didn't look surprised. His eyes followed her as she made her way out of the cafeteria. Sakura knew he was watching. She didn't like him much, but she did feel a sting of sympathy for him. She knew what it was like to be different and to be alienated because of those differences. It may be in ways different from his, yet there was a connection. _

_Sakura treaded through the near-empty hallways, almost on auto-pilot, to her favourite spot. There was a path on the side of the school, away from everyone else. This path, cracked from too many winters, was the only one unkempt. There was an old staircase that led to an abandoned storage room here, facing a dirty brick wall behind the trees. That was where she spent all her free time at school, or when she needed to get away. Occasionally there would be people passing by to get from the front of the school to the back. However, most people just walk through the building, or around to the more populated path. To Sakura, however, she was the only one who existed in her world of pink and white. _

Lying in the field soaked by rainwater, Sakura dared herself to laugh out loud as she remembered. That one staircase saved her life through her middle school years. She remembered how much it pained her to see that side of the school torn down for the new wing to be built. The world never stops changing, no matter how hard she'd pray for it to stop. For it to slow down and give her time to catch up. She knew it wouldn't happen. The flowers above her head were drowning, but the sky was unrelenting. She smiled bitterly as she pictured herself as those flowers. She remembered. All those scornful glances thrown her way. She'd been the target of so many ridiculous rumours because of her inability to socialize with her peers. People who passed by broken path felt sorry for her, she knew that.

But there was something else...another memory resurfaced.

_One afternoon, the cherry blossoms were lying dead and brown at her feet. The season flew by and the little life the blossoms gave her was gone. She was lying down as usual, on the top step, with her jacket as the pillow, drifting off to sleep. There were still some blossoms remaining that twirled around, sliding through the air or dangling from the fragile tips of their branches. Sakura felt them softly glide past her skin, her arms, her legs, her face. Then, there was that feeling again. The unease in her system that sounded the alarm of an alien presence. She opened her eyes. The sky hung above her, feigning innocence. Her half-covered eyes slid to the side. _

"_Are you alright?" It was Yamanaka Ino. Sakura frowned, ignored her, and closed her eyes again. She will leave soon, she thought to herself. And that day, she was right. It took but a few seconds for the tension to get to Ino. She felt awkward standing in the decaying flowers, watching her classmate whose name she couldn't even remember. She didn't like to be ignored either, and it was obvious that the girl was in no mood for conversation. She didn't appear physically ill, only ill-mannered. So she left. _

_The next day, Sakura felt a sudden conviction to transfer the beaten up path with the cherry blossom trees onto her sketchpad. She'd figured the night before that nothing lasts forever, and it would be better to imprint the image in her mind onto paper so she never forgets. Drawing was one of the things she did best, as she had a lot of free time and felt her world spun in a different direction than everyone else. She wanted her memories kept fresh. Although most of the petals were already a brown pulp on the floor, she felt sure that this was the image she needed to capture. The blossoms in full bloom didn't feel as authentic. She couldn't capture that picture the way she wanted to, and it wasn't her skills at fault either. Therefore, today was the day. Instead of sitting on her usual stairs, she dubbed herself Queen of the Road Less Traveled and climbed onto the highest branch of the tallest tree, her jacket around her neck like a cape. She drew ferociously; everything had to be perfect before the bell rang for the end of lunch. Her hand waved over her sketch pad and her ideal picture came to life: starting with the tip of her sneakers at the bottom of the page, the path surfaced in pieces, tree trunks grew on the sides with their sparse flowers, then a little bit of brick wall was born on the left hand side, and, finally, everything was sprinkled in a mass of grey blossom decay. _

"_Hey!" A voice broke her out of her trance. A familiar voice she couldn't quite recall. She shifted her sketchpad to reveal a face that brought a scowl to her face. It was Yamanaka Ino again. "What are you doing?" Ino said. She sounded panicked. "Get down here before someone sees!" Sakura ignored her, and continued with her masterpiece. _

"_Hey! I'm gonna tell the teacher!" Sakura shrugged. _

"_You! Down! Now!" Sakura frowned and glared down at her, hoping it'd be enough to make her leave._

"_Are you listening to me? You're not allowed up there!" Pissed off now, Sakura pulled a useless stubbed pencil from her case and threw it down at her like a dart. To her pleasure, Ino squealed. She began screaming about something, but Sakura had already blocked out her voice. Her new skill allowed her to continue until the bell rang, and even then the annoying one was still badgering her. She put away her sketch pad and pencils and climbed down the tree, as if the angry blonde behind her didn't exist. She took off as fast as she could._

_That day, they were both late for class. _

Sakura jolted upwards and held her head. Under the thinning rain, she pushed herself hard to remember what happened as the days went by. When exactly did she begin finding that nosy blonde girl attractive? She rubbed her forehead. No, she'd always been attractive. That wasn't something one could easily deny. Precisely, when did she begin falling for her? They'd never really become friends. She passed by a few times a week on errands. The route from the office to the teacher's lounge was shortest through that path, she remembered, without crowds and jeering eyes. Ino had an image, and she hated being called the teacher's pet, yet she somehow understood that hounding after authority could get her places. That was the only reason why she took that empty route. Eight times out of ten she wouldn't even notice Sakura, four times out of ten she'd have company with her, and two times out of ten she'd be strolling along with a boy, holding hands and kissing him. He'd be different every time. Once, she even had a male teacher with her, a student teacher. That time, both were too preoccupied to see her between the trees.

Her green eyes stared up at the dispersing grey clouds as she reclined herself backwards.

"Sakura? Is that you?" Sakura closed her eyes. Her ears twitched at a voice, reminiscent of her past. It was a voice somewhere scattered in her memories, and a voice she hadn't heard for a long time. She searched within herself to identify the source.

"Sakura." Again. Now she wasn't sure whether it was her mind replaying memories or not. Behind her. Rustling. Her ears perked. Eyes no longer saw the sky, but remained open, alert as she focused herself on other senses. She didn't move. Then, above her something soft tickled her face and the scenery around her was replaced by a single pair of concerned eyes.

"Hinata," she said, trying not to let her surprise show. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I...well, this land belongs to my f-family remember? I was visiting Hanabi," Hinata replied, lifting her head in the direction of her sister's grave. What she said triggered a recent memory in Sakura's brain, and she fell silent. Right after Ino finally acknowledged her existence earlier this year. The road she travelled, and the barn where Sakura had stupidly decided to assert superiority, it was only a few miles away. She laughed, earning a worried look from Hinata.

"Oh, why couldn't I have fallen for you instead," she sighed, taking both of her friend's cheeks into her icy hands.

"Ino...a-again?" Hinata gave her a small smile. She knew what came next.

Sakura lowered Hinata's face closer to her own and gently kissed her upside down lips. She allowed herself to linger and visualize someone else. Hinata's lips were softer than Temari's, and she always allowed herself to be the submissive one. Yet, like Temari's kisses, there was nothing there. She could only relax and tell herself to enjoy the simple feeling of contact.

"Every time...you only ever kiss me when your feelings get out of hand. What happened?"

Sakura withdrew her hands and sat up. "I told her. I think it's about time I move on. But I feel like I'm drowning. Everything's happening at the same time. Temari's leaving tomorrow."

"Oh...yes, I heard. People aren't too happy about that. I've...actually gotten petitions f-from students...to make her s-stay. F-fanatic really..."

"Wait'll she hears that," Sakura smirked. "She'd get so cocky." She lied down on the wet grass again, and patted the spot next to her. Hinata shook her head, but offered her lap. Sakura understood and accepted her offer. After all, her clothes cost more than her bike. Most of the time, Sakura loathed the Hyuugas' protectiveness and obsession with tradition. However there were also times where she envied her. Her family wasn't tight-knit, but at least they cared enough to have a fit over everything. It may be a euphemism for ancestral cloning, since everyone in her family functioned the same way. Still, Tsunade never paid that much attention to her. She'd always rather be out chasing skirts or working instead. Deep inside, she wondered if things would be different if her parents were alive, or if Tsunade would take time off once in a while for her. Though in the end, no matter what, she knew she was the only one to blame. Why deny it?

"Do you remember, Sakura? Why we became friends? I-it's kinda...funny w-when you look back at it."

She brushed a wisp of hair off Sakura's face, and bravely caressed her rain-sodden cheeks. She smiled and let herself be touched by Hinata's familiar hands. "That blonde bitch. It's always gotta be her isn't it?"

_Sakura watched from her locker. They passed by freely, arms interlinked. She remembered her. The girl who approached her on her first day. She was friends with the obnoxious one. Sakura blushed and shook her head. Her whole body froze in place, but her eyes selfishly found her every time. It wasn't like she'd forget her face anytime soon, yet she was almost certain that she would. As soon as her eyes left the blonde one, she'd feel empty, like she'd forgotten even though her image was already deeply emblazoned in her mind. Ridiculous, she muttered to herself. _

_That was when she caught her eye. Her kind eyes, whose expression changed as soon as she met hers. For a moment, she completely forgot about the blonde one, and felt angry, jealous at the familiarity. Sakura watched as she she whispered something to the blonde one, and Ino turned back to look at her. Sakura hid behind the open locker door and secretly tried to perform mental voodoo on the short-haired girl. _

_The next day, Sakura stayed late after school. Detention again for skipping class. She always took the quietest path out of the school, even when every hall was deserted. And that was where they met again. _

_For the longest time, Sakura wondered if it was the voodoo of the previous day, but there she was. Hyuuga Hinata, the girl she rejected on the first day of school, the blonde one's arm-linking buddy, the girl she despised in a moment of jealousy. She was crying on the staircase, softly as if it was a crime. Her face was buried in her arms with her knees to her chest, trying her hardest to be invisible. Suddenly, Sakura couldn't remember why she decided this girl deserved to suffer under questionable circumstances, black magic. _

_Neither said anything for what seemed like eternity. Sakura merely stood and stared, never occurring to her that she should just leave her. Then, there it was, her soft-spoken words sounded like a shotgun to Sakura's ears. _

"_You like her...don't you?" She said, trembling. "You like Ino. I saw you."_

_With her heart beat in synch with the pounding in her head, she fervently tried to piece together the words in her mind. "You...you told her." Hinata shook her head. _

"_I...w-would never. I could never b-bear seeing her reaction. W-what if she's disgusted...with you? A g-girl?"_

_A pause. Then, Sakura found herself keeling over with laughter. "You," she said in between fits of hysteria, "you like her too!" _

_Hinata burst into tears and they've maintained a closeted friendship since._

"What a ridiculous story. Who'd believe it?" Sakura laughed with a tinge of bitterness.

"B-but, you know," Hinata replied, moving her hand to cover Sakura's eyes. "I stopped liking her shortly afterwards. B-because...I-I liked..."

"I know. I've known for a long time. Yet..."

"Ino. It's okay. I've accepted that."

"I'm sorry."

"Sakura...I managed to get over it. I think you should too. I-it's...already been so long."

Sakura fell silent for a minute, thoughtful in the comfort of Hinata's presence. "When did you start to like me?"

Hinata blushed and stared up at the retreating clouds. "U-um, back when you decided to tell her through..."

"Poetry," Sakura said with a wry smile. "Never wrote a thing again."

_Sakura ran through the empty hallways, feeling the natural high of excitement inside her. It was 7am on a Monday morning. She hadn't slept all night. The day had finally come; she'd reach that conclusion late last night. It was the fall of another new school year, eighth grade. Her resolution was to tell her. She made the vow during the summer, when her feelings started to become too much. She'd lost sleep over the best way to convey her feelings for two months. Inspiration finally came. _

_She ran as if possessed, up the stairs to Ino's locker. Number 3122. She remembered from all the brief glances she stole. She clenched her fists and stared at the number plate, determined. The envelope in her hand wrinkled slightly as her fingers tightened around it. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and jammed it into one of the horizontal slots of the locker door. There wasn't a soul in the hall--she executed a 360 degree check to make sure. _

_She marched herself to the end of the hall and climbed up onto the windowsill for the perfect view. From her bag, she pulled out a novel to provide an alibi. _

_At precisely 8am, as the halls began to fill up, she arrived. 8: 01, she rounds the corridor. 8: 02, she arrives at her locker. Sakura watches intently. At 8: 03 she picks up a fallen letter. She pulls from the envelope what seems to be a business card. 8: 04. her mouth moves quietly as she reads. Sakura, reciting from heart, follows along in her head. _

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue._

_No matter the colour,_

_None is beautiful as you._

_-S._

_From her seat, Sakura unconsciously covers her face with the unread novel in her hand. How childish it sounded now. How pathetic. Lame. Last night it seemed so strong. Her intent hadn't been for the poem to be extravagant, just straight from the heart. But that was then. _

_She looked up from the edge of the pages to see her looking around. She stared at her name painted on the envelope in disbelief. She'd receive love letters before. Sakura was sure of that. Yet she looked frantic down there by her locker. Then came Shikamaru. She stabbed the letter with her finger. He shrugs. Says something. She slumps a little, then puts the card away and the envelope once again disappears into her locker. That was it. She carried on, glowing, probably just flattered, but nothing was different. _

_The next day, Sakura, again, arrived at 7am. She would make this a routine. This time, she attached a present._

_Roses are red._

_Violets are blue._

_Two dozen bouquets,_

_Received in twos._

_Yet a million cannot convey_

_My love for you._

_Ino picked up the two roses, speechless even when Shikamaru urged her to leave. Her eyes were glued to the mysterious "S" that signed the poem. Sakura smiled. For the next five school days, a letter and two roses, each day in a different colour, hung from the slot of her locker. _

_Roses are Red_

_Violets are Blue_

_You are my chicken soup_

_When I have the flu_

_That was the example her poems began to follow after the third day when it succeeded in making her laugh. _

"Roses are red, Violets are blue

What will we do in a world for twos?"

Hinata looked down at her, her smile compelling the question, testing her memory. Sakura nodded, eyes closed with her head in her lap. "That was my last poem. You were there when I wrote it."

"What will we do indeed," Hinata murmured. "I think that was when I gave up on her and started liking...y-you."

"I see," was all she said. At that moment, she allowed herself to fall yet again into a prolonged silence. Hinata held her tongue, understanding, giving her what seemed like eternity before she could bring up the courage to speak her mind.

She watched her as she breathed gently, as if asleep. She knew she wasn't. She also knew that she'd been forgotten, that she'd always be prioritized below Ino, whom she respected well enough. They hadn't been close for a long time, and it was moments like these that she found herself despising her.

X

Back at the Royal household, Tenten stood at what used to be partly her own bedroom door. She pushed her hair away from her face, eyes boring hard into the wood, trying hard to build determination on top of her fears. Ino had retreated into Haruno's room. She didn't say why, but if she wasn't so caught up with herself she would've thought of asking. Now that she was so close to her, what should she say? What if she opened the door at the wrong moment? With Feylinn, for instance. She couldn't think of anything lighter than the word devastation as she thought of the possibility.

She must've stood there for over five minutes before she found the courage to put her hand on the doorknob. Smooth and shiny silver, always taken for granted before now seemed lethal to her. Slowly, it turned, the doorknob itself or her hand she wasn't quite sure. Cautiously, her head poked in through the open space, where she was met with the familiar unique scent of Temari's room. Her eyes wandered and found, within a heartbeat, Temari's through reflected glass. Her body was enclosed within the ornate frame she'd once put herself in every day. They watched each other, neither sure of their own senses, taking each other for apparitions.

Temari was standing taller than she remembered, in a uniform. Others would say she looked good, great, professional and commanding, captivating. Tenten hated it. It was white, adorned with badges and medals, with fancy ropes and fringes hanging from the shoulders. She wore a white hat to match, with her family insignia on a circular plate in front. On her arms there were no chevrons to indicate rank, she bore the highest rank there was in the form of a crown.

Tenten let herself inside and closed the door. "You look horrible in that," she said matter-of-factly.

Temari stared at her through the mirror in disbelief, and gradually tore herself away to look at her directly. "Thanks," she said as casually as possible, "most people would disagree." To her own ears, she sounded short of breath.

"I would. If I didn't know you." Boldly, Tenten manoeuvred herself toward her. She moved up, with shaky hands, and buttoned the last clasp on her uniform, something Temari had given up on moments before when she found herself suddenly unable to coordinate her hands.

"Why did you go?" Temari whispered.

"It was the right thing to do," Tenten replied feebly. Then she shook her head and straightened herself up. "No, I'm sorry, that's not right."

"Damn right it isn't." She sounded almost angry.

"I was scared, you know?"

"Of what? Feylinn?"

Tenten let go of her uniform and let herself fall into her, around her waist, taking in the scent of her clean new uniform. "Of everything."

Yet Temari couldn't bring herself to respond to her warm arms. "You...I've never felt so miserable. I've never felt so crazy about anyone, never regretted something as much as your stupid game. I hate you for that you know?"

Tenten pulled herself away. She frowned. "You don't think it's hard for me too? Have you even looked at yourself lately? You're playful, carefree, rich, and attractive--I have so many insecurities about being with you that I can't even begin to count. I was just a stupid challenge to you to begin with, don't think I don't know. You have so many options! I've never had one good relationship in my life and now someone like you just comes in and I'm supposed to believe you'll be with me forever. I know we won't be together forever."

"We could try."

"No! See? That's it, right there! Your wanting us to be together forever is the worst part of all! This isn't some...sappy romance movie. We're gonna have problems, we'll probably hate each other, for God's sakes you'll probably die in a week!"

"Don't say that, Tenten. I'm not going to die. I'm only twenty."

"You're not goddamn invincible!"

"Is that why you left then? Hoping you'll hurt less that way if we were to leave each other early?"

Tenten wanted to deny it. It sounded so selfish. It was. She hadn't thought of Temari at all. Valorously, she stood her ground and said, "Yes. Because I love you."

Temari pulled her into a tight embrace, enjoying her smaller body pressed against hers, a feeling she'd been missing so much she was in tears. "Let's not fight anymore. I love you too, you know that right? That's reason enough for me to never die. I promise I won't die before you do, so I could take care of you for as long as you live."

Tenten giggled and sniffed, no longer holding back tears. "That's a bold promise you're making."

"And I intend to keep it."

"Temari...why...why didn't you tell me that you were a princess?"

Temari held onto her head against her shoulder. Disguised in her sign of affection was a hard fear of looking into the other girl's eyes. She had to put all inhibitions aside and admit the truth. "I was scared. Like you. I didn't want you to know because I didn't want you to think our relationship should change just because I have a birth-given title. I didn't want you to leave because you thought this stupid title would force us apart. Because it doesn't. Shouldn't. I've never been so scared in my life, but I was. I was scared to death just thinking of those possibilities."

"I think I would," Tenten sighed, "if you told me. Maybe it was a good idea...for me not to know. But now that I know, it's different. I've always been so...self-conscious around you. Like I'm not good enough for you. And now...I don't know. Since I found out, I've been asking myself over and over...just what the hell am I doing, wasting your time. Why did it have to be you that I ended up head over heels for? Nothing about you is simple. I did the right thing by leaving you, theoretically, at least in my mind. But I'm back here and you're leaving. So, now what?"

"Does it make you uneasy knowing I have these kinds of duties to my country?"

"More than ever."

"I'm not inheriting the throne," Temari said, almost in the sense of justification. "I could leave the castle and we could be together forever."

"Normally in fairy tales, people go to castles to be happy together forever," Tenten replied casually.

"Don't change the subject."

"The both of us should just shut up," Tenten said. She grinned into the fabric of her shirt, and pulled away. "I missed you a lot you know," Temari whispered. Gently she ran the back of her hand against Tenten's cheek. Switched over and cradled it before marking it with a peck of her lips. "I missed you more than you could ever know."

Tenten gazed at the face she could finally admit to loving so much and pulled her hand away. Instead, she pushed her weight onto her, arms around her neck, in an almost desperate kiss.

Between them, they knew the conversation was over. There was a wordless agreement on each other's thoughts. They knew this had to be a night to be remembered. That things were real now, no more torturous games conjured up by doubts. No more lies. Just love.

X

Hours later in the field, Hinata had gone home, called back. Her family was waiting for her, and the rain began to pour again. They'd been expecting her to find a spouse. She should be married by 18, they told her. Man after man, moustaches after toupees, receding hairlines after 80s sideburns, they never stop coming. Hinata was tired, and she knew these men were tired as well. Once in a while a nice clean-shaven man comes along, but none of them were really _perfect_ enough for her. For her family. She had no opinion in these matters, none that could be voiced anyway. Secretly, she told Sakura, she was hoping for an oppressed homosexual. That way they wouldn't have to 'make love'. It could never happen, the baby was the whole point in the matter, but she dared keep hoping.

Haruno mused about herself. What if she had the same misfortune as Hinata? Would that even be considered misfortune in spite of her current situation? She wondered how her love became so twisted.

She wondered sometimes if she was who she thought she was. Perhaps there was two of her inside her one body. One, a simple kind girl, and the other a twisted psycho maniac, compulsively wanted to show her love in methods of an elementary school boy. She admitted to meshing the two at times, but neither could control the other. As long as there was this anger instilled in her four years ago, she realized she could never properly love anyone.

She just wished Ino would remember.

She closed her eyes, straddled the seat of her motorcycle, and hunched over her handlebars as she remembered the day.

Sakura had finally summed up the courage to request a meeting in a P.S. note on her final letter.

_The swing set squeaked every time she felt the wind sweep under her feet. It was rusty with countless rainfall and worn from countless years of use. On every other day, the squeaking would claw at her insides. She would be so peeved. Today, the hinges of a browning swing set were the least of her worries. _

_Meet in the park by an abandoned building, she had written. It was quite a ways from school, and she wondered hard whether Ino would show up at all. She was scared as hell at the very thought of meeting her face to face and confessing herself to her. That was why, despite her accumulated courage barking at her conscience, she came out wearing her oversized middle school sweatshirt, with its emblem printed brightly on the back, and hooded herself to cover her face. She looked like a criminal, and appropriately she felt just like one. Any time now the girl of her dreams would walk up expecting Prince Charming, just to find a thug on the swings. _

_She kicked at the gravel. Waited. It was 3:30, their meeting time. _

_Waited. 3: 35. _

_3:40. 50. 4 o'clock. _

_Steadily, Sakura waited some more. She'd expected this. _

_4: 30. Then, in a far off distance, she heard it. Light footsteps on the grass, then the crunch of gravel. _

"_Are you...S?" Ino's sweet voice dripped into her ear like honey, instilling ever more anxiety. _

"_Disappointed?" Sakura replied without looking up. She hadn't meant to sound as uninterested as she did, but none of her cognition functioned the usual way under this kind of pressure. _

"_I don't know. Maybe? I didn't really know what to expect. I think it's sweet enough that a guy like you could write these kinds of letters to me. I don't know any guys that are so sensitive." She must've smiled then, but she still couldn't bring herself to lift her head to see it. Even if it was the only smile she will spare her. _

"_I'm not a guy," Sakura replied._

"_Oh," was her only reaction."Well, I..."_

"_You have a boyfriend, don't you?" _

"_Y-yeah," Ino said, "yeah I do. W-what do you want me to do?"_

"_Nothing," Sakura said stoically. "I just wanted you to know the person behind these letters. If I were braver, I'd show you my face. But I don't suppose it matters. I'm a girl nonetheless."_

_Ino was quiet. Sakura cursed herself. What could she possibly say after a confession like that? If she was in Ino's shoes, she'd definitely run. Yet she stayed, an awkward distance away. "I'm sorry," she finally said. "Maybe it'll pass. You'll find a good boyfriend soon."_

"_Ouch."_

"_Sorry."_

"_Don't be."_

_Sakura watched her retreating back glide across the soccer field. It was a failure of a confession, she knew that much. Somehow she'd created even more distance between them. Even if they'd still see each other in school, even if her hooded appearance allowed her to approach her again, she knew it was over. What could she do, when fortune was never on her side? Yamanaka Ino was the only thing she wanted, she was all she could ask for, yet she was too much. Too good for her. _

"And now look at you," Sakura said out loud to herself. She revved up her engine and gripped her handlebars tight. "You'd think you'd be in her league by now. Sakura, you'd so sad."

Don't kid yourself, she thought, that wasn't the reason for all of this. The rejection was but a minor scratch.

She turned her bike around and rode along the narrow forest trail. She thought nothing of the branches slashing against her clothes. For all her stupidity, she deserved it. Her mind was no longer on the storm of the past. As she looked up at the sun peeking out from trees and clouds, she saw only one thing in her mind. Ino.

Her bike accelerated into a wheelie. The startled birds flew.

She was going to tell her everything, even if she had to go down on her knees and beg for her to listen. Ino needed to see her. Not the anti-social her of the past, nor the rebellious facade of Haruno Sakura of the present. _Her_. Even if she could never justify her actions, Ino needed to know the real reason of her outburst.

X

**A/N: Hello, everyone! I apologize for the late updates. Life got in the way, I guess, haha. Anyway, I'll probably be spending a little more time on the Black Swan a little more now. So far, I'm quite smitten with it, and quite confident it will turn into something I'll be proud of. But we'll just have to see. **


	19. A Final Goodbye

It's quite funny when I think about this, since this story has reached almost 300 reviews.

But I've been considering this for quite some time… This story has become a hurdle much too high for me. Every time I finish a chapter, this will be the note in my head. To be honest I don't know where it's going anymore. So.

**Silver Chains and Black Leather will not be continued from here on out. Here's why:**

1. Primarily because I've fallen out of love with it for so long it's become a chore to write

2. Time is too limited for me to be brooding over a plot that's been dead 10 chapters ago

3. I'd like to focus on other things, like my other story, other stories in general, school, life, etc.

It's been a blast in the beginning, and I've learned a lot from the experience. Haha, it'd be a problem if I didn't. Thank you to everyone for staying with me for 18 chapters. Thank you to those who came and went, those who stayed for a little while, and those who read it in one go. Maybe I'll see you around in the future, maybe not. I feel like I've apologized enough for this story. I'm not too sorry to see it go. Hope you had fun, so thank you again! :)


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